


An Echo, An Answer

by Dooiney_Oie



Category: The Adventure Zone (Podcast)
Genre: A bit of spooky scary but all in good fun, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Listen when I say slow burn I do mean Slow Fucking Burn, M/M, Mutual Pining, Obviously there's gonna be some talk about death at some point, Slow Burn, Spoilers for stolen century by virtue of certain characters Existing, Teen for Swears, There's a bunch of other chars but I'm only tagging those two bc they're in every chapter
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2019-01-06
Packaged: 2019-01-26 21:02:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 24
Words: 134,525
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12566108
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dooiney_Oie/pseuds/Dooiney_Oie
Summary: There's an old house in a nice part of town that no-one wants.(A fun little ghost au for the soul)(Turning out to be not so little)





	1. Moving Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Moving never goes smoothly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me, blocked on my multi-chapter fic: time to start Another multi-chapter fic
> 
> The dynamic here is definitely inspired by Evitcani's fic "A Vampire and a Hunter Walk into a Bar", which I /love/ and highly recommend reading if you haven't already. (Small warning that it is explicit, though)

 

Taako drops the last of his boxes on the floor inside the living room with a tired huff. Everyone else had been around earlier to help with the bulk of the moving process, but they'd slowly excused themselves throughout the day to be with their families. His own fault for moving so close to candlenights, probably. Whatever. There'll be time for housewarming tomorrow, but for now it's just him and his new pad.

It's a big place, two stories with a porch out front, old and grand. Houses, especially like this one, aren't usually his style, but the apartment he'd shared with Lup had fallen a little out of his price range after she'd moved in with Barry, and despite its size, the place was dirt cheap. He's definitely expecting the roof to leak or to find some horrific mould somewhere, but those things are manageable. Magnus can be bribed into fixing a leaky roof with the promise of dinner, and Taako could probably take care of a little mould if he can't persuade someone else to do it for him.

He decides unpacking can wait for now and heads out through the screen door, collapsing onto the porch stairs for a rest and to think about what he should make for dinner. He doesn't have a lot of food in yet, that's a job for tomorrow, so it's a question of what he can make with minimal ingredients and minimal effort.

A voice calls to him from the other side of the fence on the edge of the lawn, interrupting his musing.

"Hey there! I was wondering when I'd get the chance to meet you," says a small woman with a round face and short cropped hair. There's another woman behind her who waves as he looks over, lithe and graceful. "I'm Hurley, and this is my wife Sloane. You're the one moving into the spook house, huh?"

Taako frowns at her. "The what now?"

"Oh, uh. They didn't tell you, of course," she says, laughing nervously. "Never mind. Just uh, be careful about the place. It's an old house, it's uh, kinda funny, y'know?"

"You tryna tell me there's a serial killer livin' in the basement or something?"

"No, uh, nothing like, no serial killers, no. I don't even think the place has a basement. You'll see - anyway, I didn't catch your name?"

"Taako. Y'know, from T.V.?"

Hurley's smile takes on a hint of worry, maybe panic. "I, uh, I don't? Sorry."

Taako snickers. He loves hitting people with that one. "It's fine. Just a dumb inside joke."

"Oh. Okay," Hurley says, looking slightly relieved. "So... you got anyone else living there with you?"

He shrugs. "No-one permanent, but I got the kinda friends that just break down my door whenever they feel like it. I'm not gonna be lonely, if that's what you're worried about."

Sloane giggles to herself. "You definitely won't be lonely," she says quietly.

Hurley elbows her and laughs a little. "Yeah, uh, house like that's got a life of its own. But uh, if you ever need company, door's open. You into cars?"

"Do I look like I'm into cars?" Taako says flatly, raising an eyebrow.

She laughs. "Guess not. I'll uh, I'll let you get back to it. And uh, do be careful, I mean it."

He frowns at her. "I feel like you know somethin' here that I don't, friend. You gonna share?"

Hurley just grimaces at him. "You'll see what I mean. Good luck, neighbour."

After the two women go back inside, he sighs and drags himself back up the stairs to go get some food. Except the door slams shut before he can get to it. Right. Old houses and stiff breezes. He pushes down the handle and goes to pull it open again, but the door doesn't budge. He yanks at it, putting his whole weight behind the motion and his foot against the frame, and it springs free with a loud squeak of rusty hinges, throwing him off-balance and sending him tumbling down the short flight of steps leading up to the porch.

Hurley sticks her head out of her window, drawn by his shout. "You okay?"

"Yup," he says, sitting up and rubbing his head. That had hurt, fucking dumbass door. "Gotta oil that, huh?"

"Ha. Yeah. S'been a while since anyone lived here. We've got oil and tools whenever you need 'em."

"Thanks, might have to take you up on that." He stands up and dusts himself off, and makes his way back up the stairs.

The door slams shut again. He stares at it and then turns to squint at Hurley. "This a prank?"

She laughs a little awkwardly. "No, I promise. Like I said, life of its own."

"Well I think it hates me," he says, giving the door a careful tug.

"It uh, it kinda hates everyone. Don't think it's anything personal."

"Sure feels it. Hey house, stop bein' such a royal dick!" he shouts, planting a kick on the doorframe.

"I don't know if that's gonna help."

Taako shrugs. "Made me feel better." Then the door swings open suddenly and hits him in the face. "Fuck!" He shouts, holding his nose.

Hurley smiles sympathetically. "Got first aid if you need that, too."

He gives her a silent, harried thumbs up and dashes into the house before the door can shut again. The inside feels chillier than it should, heating's probably busted as well as the door. Tomorrow problems, he thinks as he makes for the bathroom to check out the damage to his face. As he walks down the hall, his foot catches on a rumpled section of rug, and he almost goes crashing to the ground again before he catches himself in a very stylish forward roll. "Ha!" he shouts to no-one in particular, "Take that, fucker!"

Nobody replies. Obviously.

There's a small gash across his nose, he finds as he looks himself over in the mirror, but it's not bleeding too bad. He runs the water warm and wipes the worst of it away, hoping the injury isn't going to scar. Might be worth having Merle check it over later to make sure it's not gonna permanently mar his beautiful face. He wipes a little condensation away from the mirror to take a look, poking gently at the broken skin. The lights flicker. He looks up at them and frowns. He supposes he shouldn't have expected anything to work at the price he got the place for, but still. He could do without the spooky horror movie bullshit.

And when he looks back at the mirror, there's more bullshit. He hisses in a breath as he reads the letters written into the misted glass in looping script, fear curling in his chest.

 ** _Leave_**.

He stares for a second. Then he laughs. This is stupid.

"Hey uh, Casper?" he says, glancing around the room. "Gotta say the calligraphy isn't exactly threatening. You couldn't manage blood? I didn't realise ghosts were sticklers for grammar, either."

The lights flicker again. He ignores it, cleaning off the rest of the blood and patting off the wound with a towel he pulls from a box sitting on the toilet. There's some first aid materials in there, too, and he dabs some antiseptic on the cut and covers it with a bandage. Not exactly elegant, but better than an infection. The lights flicker again, then blink off completely, leaving him in the dark in the windowless room. He snorts and navigates to the door by memory, ignoring the touch of panic spurring his heart faster. He's never been one to believe in ghost stories, but this is kinda freaky, to say the least. He breathes a little easier once he's back out in the corridor where the evening light is still providing a dim illumination.

He makes a simple dinner consisting mainly of mixed vegetables and spices, steadfastly ignoring the way the cupboards slam open or shut without warning or how the flames of the burner flare dangerously high when he turns it on. He's not gonna be intimidated by some fuckin' dead asshole who thinks they own the place. The chair at the dining table topples over when he goes to sit down, so he hops onto the counter instead to eat, pulling out his phone and laughing obnoxiously loud at some cat video Lup had sent him. He sends a message back as he finishes his food.

**_hey lulu if i die a ghost did it_ **

_oh come on. its not that old and spooky ya wimp_

**_i mean it fuckin jerkass casper has it in for me_ **

_sure baby bro. ill come by tomorrow n we can exorcise that shit, buy a bunch of garlic when we go out to get you groceries_

He laughs at the screen, a little too loud again.

**_deal. hey jerko if you're readin over my shoulder your ass is gettin poofed into the ether this is my town now_ **

The kitchen door slams. Taako bursts out laughing and rolls around on the counter as the lights flicker again, and a box topples over somewhere in the corridor. When he's pulled himself together, he deletes the message and quickly retypes it, holding the phone a little closer.

**_cool on the shopping trip, no garlic. this ghost is a big fuckin baby i think i can win this_ **

_if you say so dude_

He dumps his bowl in the sink with a little water and yawns widely. He doesn't have the T.V. set up yet, but he can probably dig a book out of one of the boxes in the living room to stare at for a bit before heading to sleep. Maybe he'll pick something ghost-themed, see how that goes down with the new roomie.

The furniture that came with the house is kind of old, and a little frumpy, but it was also free, which is just fine by him. Taako flops down in one of the big chairs in the living room with a contented sigh and props his feet up on the table. It pulls itself violently back a few inches so his legs fall to the ground, so he just curls them up on the seat instead. There's a period of quiet while frost forms on the windows and the light fades outside. Soon, the room's only illumination is from the oft-flickering lights above.

Then someone speaks, and it isn't Taako.

"Are you dense?"

Taako feels a chill run through his veins, but plasters on a smile as he looks up from his book to face the voice.

There's a man standing a few feet away from him, arms folded, glaring at him with dark, almost black eyes. There's a watery quality to his figure; it ripples slightly like a mirage, though the room is now hurtling towards antarctically cold. He's surprisingly handsome for a dead guy; Taako had been expecting some white sheet nonsense, if anything at all. Certainly not a sharp suit and a pretty face. He dog-ears his book, which earns him a disapproving eye twitch, and sets it down, leaning forward with a confident grin.

"Naw, homes. Just stubborn. So, what's your problem?"

"You're in my house," the man says, biting each word like having to explain is a personal slight. Taako feels the corner of his mouth twitch up. That's a fun accent.

"S'my house now, bubeleh. Paid for it fair and square, but thanks for getting me a discount."

The man glares harder. " _Leave_."

"Nah, sorry. Hey, you should stick around though, I could stand to see that handsome face more."

Ice cracks across the glass of the windows as the man clenches a hand. "I'm asking nicely. Leave, or I will make you leave."

"And how are you gonna do that? Gonna possess me? Give me a chill? I could catch a cold."

The man flicks his wrist, and the table flips itself over. " _Go_."

A thrill of fear shoots through him, but Taako stays determinedly seated. "Ooh, impressive. Can you juggle, too?"

"Fine, if that's how it's gonna be." The man swipes his hand through the air again, and the chair Taako is curled in tips violently backwards, sending him sprawling onto the floor.

"Hey! Ow, you fuck!"

"I warned you."

Taako scrambles up and jabs a finger at him. "You're an asshole, buddy."

The man just scowls and moves his hand again. Taako ducks as some kind of porcelain trinket narrowly misses his head and smashes against the wall. "You don't want a roommate, then?"

" _No_."

"I can make you cookies? Good ones," he teases, voice sing-song.

"Get _out_! What is _wrong_ with you?!" the man shouts, and the lights flicker, then explode. Plunged into darkness, Taako's breath starts to mist in front of his face as the temperature drops even further. Something smashes on the floor in front of him and he stumbles backwards and makes for the door, because he is sure as fuck not going out at the hands of a territorial ghost, no matter how cute he is.

Objects clatter around him as he runs down the corridor and out the door, jumping the stairs onto the garden path. A few steps out, he turns, just in time to see his pursuer wince, form flickering, and take a couple of steps backwards towards the porch. Interesting.

"What, you got tired?"

"You're off the premises," he mutters, turning. "Don't come back."

"Don't you want this?" Taako says, tilting his head and pulling out a keyring from his pocket, holding it out between them. "I can get back in any time I want with these, seeing as I'm the _legal owner_."

The man growls and goes to snatch the keys out of his hand, but gasps as Taako jerks his hand back and he stumbles forward a little before catching himself and backpedaling, eyes squeezed shut as his body blinks rapidly back and forth between opaque, translucent and gone. After a moment, he releases a breath and his form settles, and he glowers with a new level of fury.

Taako grins. Taking a leisurely seat on the path, he begins to pick at his nails. "Looks like someone's got a leash, Casper."

"Doesn't matter, you're not getting past me."

"So you're just gonna stand there and stare at me for the rest of the night? Don't you have anything better to do?"

"No."

"Wowza. You're somethin, aren't ya?"

The man just sets his jaw and watches him, unblinking, unbreathing. He's like a really angry statue. Taako lies back on the path, splaying his arms out to the side, and watches the night sky. After a minute of very boring silence, he tries again.

"So, thug, what's your name?"

"I don't see how that's any of your business."

"Well how am I gonna label all our stuff right if I don't know what to write on your shit?"

"You're not coming back in!"

He sits up with a grin. The man leans backwards ever so slightly, and Taako grins wider. "That's what you think. I think we're gonna be buds."

"You have a death wish."

"Or I just don't like dead dudes tryna kick me out of my house."

Something falters in the man's expression, and then he glares with newfound anger and takes a small step forward again, seemingly about as far as he can go. "It's not your house!"

Taako sighs dramatically and pushes himself to his feet. "Y'know what? Let's try this from the top. I'm Taako, and you are...?" he says, extending a hand. The man looks at it and pointedly folds his arms. Taako pushes his hand further towards him, wiggling his fingers. "Oh, come on. Don't tell me you died before they invented manners? Or is it cause you can't touch me?"

"I can touch you just fine," the man snaps.

Taako smirks, winking. "Good to know. So prove it."

The man huffs and rolls his eyes, but after a second extends his hand to roughly shake Taako's. He feels like an ice cube, and slightly insubstantial, like Taako could push his fingers through him if he really tried. There's something like surprise on the man's face as he looks down at their joined hands.

"...And your name?"

"What?" He looks up at him, and blinks. "Kravitz."

"Hail and well met, my man. Also, fuck you," Taako smiles, and yanks him over the boundary. The hand in his flickers and disappears with an angry shout and a gust of cold air, and then he's alone on the lawn.

There's a whistle from the other side of the fence. Hurley is leaning on her porch railing. "Wow. You actually handled him."

"You could have given me a little more warning," he whines, turning to look at her.

"Would you have believed me if I'd said anything?"

Taako slumps to the ground again and sighs. "Yeah. Okay, I wouldn't have. So did I just, uh, did I just kill a guy?"

"I dunno. Maybe. I mean, he's technically dead already, but," Hurley shrugs. "I'd be surprised if that worked permanently. He's a pretty tenacious dude."

"Been here a while, huh?"

"Since before we moved in. Pretty sure the place has been hopping owners or deserted for decades."

"That long and they haven't done anything about the roommate from literal hell yet?"

She snorts. "They tried to demolish the place once, and he put one of the contractors through a window. Easier to just let sleeping dogs lie."

"Well, I'm gonna give this dog a wake-up call," Taako declares, and saunters back into the house to see if any of his moving boxes have any spare lightbulbs in them. They don't, so he has to opt for candles. One more tomorrow problem.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Updates for this will probably be sporadic, but hopefully not too slow. Think we're looking at about ten chapters, maybe.
> 
> I actually think this would be a really fun setup to have in reverse, too, though it'd probably go a lot differently lmao


	2. Dogs and Wolves

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Three conversations, one common thread.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the lovely comments on the previous chapter! I don't usually respond unless someone has an outright question for me because I'm bad at words, weirdly enough, but I do read and appreciate each one, so thanks!

 

"So, what's with the ghost talk?" Lup asks as he climbs into the passenger seat of her car the next morning after a blissfully quiet night. "I mean, you didn't die, so what's the deal? No, don't tell me! I know, you just missed me so much you needed an excuse for me to come save you from your crippling loneliness."

Taako looks at her sidelong as he clips on his seatbelt. "Promise you won't laugh."

Checking over her shoulder as they pull away, she flaps a hand at him. "Eh. Depends."

"Fine, whatever," he huffs, unplugging her phone from the aux cord and putting on his own music. She swipes at his hand, but he holds it out of her reach and she relents. He flicks on the heater, too, because Lup always seems to forget not everyone is a walking radiator like she is, and he's freezing his ass off in the December chill. "There is, no joke, a hot ghost living in my house. Or, being dead in my house. Also, he's an asshole."

Lup snickers. "You serious? You sure you're not seeing shit from bein' all on your lonesome?"

"I mean it! He broke all the lightbulbs in the goddamn house and chased me down the hallway!"

"Sure he did. Bet he helped you make some pottery, too," she giggles.

He turns in his seat to look at her. "Lup. I'm stone-cold serious. Pinky swear."

She glances at him and then back to the road. A pinky swear is serious shit, she knows he'd only say that if he meant it. "For real? Fuck, bro."

"Why'd you think I was rockin' this bandage look? Guy slammed a door into my fuckin' face," he pouts.

"And you slept in that place?" Lup asks incredulously.

Taako grins at her. "No, okay, it's cool, 'cause here's the fun part: he can't leave the house. Goes all janky and flickery like a bad signal and winks out. I tricked him out of his little invisible bubble last night and haven't seen him since."

She glances over at him with a raised eyebrow. "Okay, ghost hunter. So how do you know he's not just gone?"

He settles back in his seat, watching the traffic move ahead of them. "I mean, I guess I don't, really. But I get the feeling that's not enough to get rid of him. There's a weird like, uh, aura, to the place, you'll see later."

"Uhh, I dunno if I wanna head into your house of spooks now, brother mine. I'm good without evil ghosts messing up my face."

"Y'know what's weird? I don't think he's evil," Taako says contemplatively, leaning his seat back and putting his feet up on the dash. "An asshole, yeah, and angry as fuck for some reason, but all bark and no bite. Like, I'm pretty sure he could've killed me if he'd wanted to, but all he did was knock me over a couple times and smack me with a door."

"And you still wanna live in that house? Maybe we should try 'n' find you somewhere new," Lup says, frowning in concern.

Taako considers that for a second. "Nah, I think I can handle him. You know any hot tips about ghosts?"

"Well, considering I didn't think they were real until about five seconds ago, not really. Maybe Merle can like, put a blessing on you or something."

"Merle would laugh in my goddamn face. Any better ideas? Isn't your boyfriend mega into that spooky shit?"

Lup inclines her head as they swing round a corner, heading further into town. "He is. I can ask him, but only if you want him camping out at your house with an EMF detector for the next year."

Taako folds his arms with a sigh. "Fine. I don't even wanna think about what bullshit the internet might come up with. Lucretia might have some old book she'd lend us?"

"You think that'd be any more accurate than the internet?"

"Man, I dunno!" he exclaims, throwing his hands in the air. "I just wanna have some leverage on the smokin' hot ghost that lives in my house!"

Lup laughs. "Was he that hot?"

"Chyeah! And dressed like he was gonna have tea with Dickens or some shit, like a full three-piece suit pocket watch deal. Sounded like it too, some weird Cockney-royalty hybrid accent, fuckin' ridiculous."

Kind of charming, too, he thinks, but mostly ridiculous.

"Are you sure you're not fucking with me right now?" Lup says, shooting him another glance. "'Cause you know I do not take the pinky swear lightly, and if you're making this up that's some serious betrayal of sibling trust."

"Absolutely not fucking with you. Guy looked like he'd just stepped out of one of those old photographs where no-one's ever smiling. Lady next door said he's been there long as anyone can remember, so maybe he did, I don't fuckin' know."

"You mean your neighbours knew about your whole ghost sitch and didn't give you the heads up? Rude."

"She said I wouldn't have believed her. Kinda had a point, like, you didn't believe me, right?"

Lup shrugs. "I guess. And like, you're my brother. So what are you gonna do?"

"Fuck if I know, just keep messin' with him, I guess. You wanna crash with me tonight and see if you can't get a look at him? And you can help me unpack, seeing as you bailed on me yesterday."

She snorts, reaching over to turn the heater off. "Sure, I'm good with checking 'watched my brother get his ass kicked by a ghost' off my bucket list."

He waits until she's focused on the road again and turns the heater back on. "Sweet. You had breakfast?"

She grins. "Nah. I knew you'd wanna swing by Paloma's before we went to get you stocked up."

Taako pumps both fists in the air. "Hell yes! You're my favourite sister."

"You know it. I'm the best twin you could ever have, we've established this."

"I can take 'more humble twin,'" he says, and earns himself a punch in the arm.

Paloma's café is small and cozy, and precisely the kind of comforting space Taako needs after his ordeal the previous night. The old woman looks at him curiously as they enter the shop, bell tinkling pleasantly above the door.

"You've met someone interesting," she says, and he snorts a laugh.

"Yeah, you can say that again," he quips, shutting the door behind them and hanging his coat on the rack by the entrance next to Lup's.

That she has an inkling of what happened isn't surprising. The woman isn't exactly psychic _,_ but she has an uncanny way of _knowing_ things, like making exactly the kind of coffee you want without you ever opening your mouth. Maybe that was why Taako hadn't freaked out too much about the idea that he was house-sharing with a ghost. Sometimes it was easier to just roll with the weirder shit life threw at you.

He takes a seat opposite Lup at a table in the corner, next to the window. The café is completely empty, probably due to the bitter cold outside and the relatively early time of day. Not that he's complaining. "You know anything about ghost-proofing a house, granny?"

"Ghosts?" Paloma chuckles, pushing herself up from her stool behind the counter and brushing off her apron. "What a silly notion. As if anyone would want to remain here when they have a better place to get to."

"Figured," Taako yawns, and leans his chin on his hand. "Could you get us the usual?" The usual, in this case, is whatever Paloma decides to serve them. She's always right.

Paloma smiles and bustles off into the kitchen, returning a few minutes later with a tray holding two plates of waffles, both covered in chocolate and fruit but one with warm syrup and one with ice cream, as well as a mug of fruit tea and a mug of milky coffee which Taako takes from her hands before she can even set it down on the table because yes, that's exactly what he wanted. Paloma just chuckles at him and sets their plates down - Lup's is obviously the one with the ice cream, seeing as only someone with an internal furnace would be weird enough to eat ice cream in fucking December.

The old woman pulls up a chair as he takes a long drink of his coffee, perfectly sweet.

"How's your new home, then, my dear? Settling in well?"

"You could say that," Taako mutters. "Just tryna make it my own 'n' all that." 

Lup giggles around a mouthful of food while Paloma smiles knowingly. "It's an old construction, correct? Those often come with some attachments. Stories, usually."

"More like a pest problem."

"Hmm. It may be worth remembering that one person's pest is another's pet. Dogs were once wolves, after all."

"Another one for you to put on a magnet, that one. I've told you you should trademark these, you'd make bank."

"Would you like to pay me for my wisdom? I can start charging if you'd like."

"Well obviously you wouldn't charge _me_ ," he gasps, raising a hand to his chest in mock offense. "I thought we were pals, Pal. Get it? Like your name."

Lup kicks him under the table. "Eat your food, dingus. I wanna get your shit bought so we can get back to your pad and meet your new friend."

Taako sticks his tongue out at her and starts on his waffles. They're exactly what he needed, pure comfort food and amazing as always. As they leave, thanking and paying Paloma, she takes Taako's hand, tracing a line across his skin.

"Do you know anything about palm reading, Taako?" 

He smirks. "You don't believe in ghosts, but you believe in palm reading?"

She just smiles at him, something deeper behind it that he can't figure out. It's a little unsettling. "Would you like to know what your palm says about you?"

"Are you gonna charge me?"

"You caught me," she laughs, dropping his hand. "But seeing as we're friends, I'll give you this one for free. You have a deep capacity for love, even though you like to pretend you don't. While you are surrounded by people who love you dearly, romantic love is and will be a struggle for you. You will have to fight for it, but in the end, it will be worth it."

He tries not to let his skepticism show too much, Paloma is an old friend after all. She'd given him and Lup a lot of free meals when they were younger, the least he can do is humour her. "How much of that did you actually get from my hand, granny?"

She chuckles and waves him away. "Enough. Now go deal with your pest problem, I have a feeling you'll resolve it satisfactorily."

Well, that's a comfort at least. Paloma is rarely wrong about these things. He and Lup buy enough food to last him a couple of weeks, though he'll have to go out for fresh produce at some point, and head back to the house, banging the door loudly on their way in and being as boisterous as possible to try to scare up Taako's new housemate. But they don't see him that night, or the night after, though the lights flicker a little here and there. In fact, it's a few more days before Taako sees him again. He walks into the kitchen after getting back late from work, tired and hungry and ready for dinner, and Kravitz is standing next to the room's stupidly big dining table with his arms crossed, seething.

"Oh, hey, you're back! I had a feeling," Taako smirks, dumping his things on the counter.

"Do you have any idea how much that hurt? I've been laid out for days, you almost killed me," Kravitz snaps, barely a step below shouting.

"Think someone else beat me to that punch, Casper. Besides, seemed like you were the one trying to kill me," Taako says, pulling an apple from the fridge and taking a bite. "Eye for an eye, right?"

"Don't be ridiculous, I wasn't-" Kravitz bites his tongue, begins again. "I don't _kill_ people."

"I knew you weren't so bad. Why don't you take a seat, homes? You're kinda just standing there like a lemon." Taako crunches half the apple in one go, leaning on the counter.

Kravitz raises a finger. "First of all - my house, you can't offer me a seat at my own table, second-" he cuts himself off again, refolds his arms, looks off to the side and chews his lip.

Taako takes another bite. "Second, what?"

"I don't want to sit down," he growls, looking at him with a challenge in his eyes.

Taako finishes the apple, then looks at the core contemplatively and flings it at Kravitz's chest. He flinches, but it sails straight through him, and Taako laughs.

"Oh, sweet! You can't, can you? I messed up your groove," he giggles.

After a moment watching the makeshift projectile roll to a halt on the other side of the room, Kravitz turns sharply and glares at him. "I told you, you can't offer me a seat in my own house. And pick that up, you're disgusting."

"Ugh, whatever - you're real scary, I'm terrified," Taako deadpans, circling the table to pick up what's left of his snack and then moving back into the kitchenette to put the counter between them again. He flips the core into the trash. "So, how long's it gonna take before you can pull your Carrie shit again? Or don't tell me you're stuck like that forever."

The lights in the room dim and stutter very slightly as Kravitz brandishes a finger at him. "Don't get comfortable. You have one week, and if you're not out of here by then I'm gonna throw you out myself," he hisses, and as he leans closer Taako notices he's slightly transparent, like coloured glass. Curious, he pulls out his phone and points the camera at him. Nothing. The only thing in the frame is the room behind him.

"Huh."

"What are you doing with that?" Kravitz says, leaning further away and looking at the device suspiciously.

"Oh, this? I got a ghost-killing laser in it, new technology," he snickers. Kravitz's frown deepens, taking an edge of confusion, and Taako laughs. "I'm kidding, dude! I was just tryna see if I could take a photo of you."

"A photo? Like a photograph? With that?" Kravitz asks, squinting at him, and Taako grins.

"Jeez louise, my man, we gotta get you up to date. I can do fuckin' anything with this shit. You saw me talking to my sister."

"That's what you were doing?"

"Yuh-huh. Here, look," he says, flipping to the front camera and pulling a face. He turns the phone around so Kravitz can see the screen and the photo. "See? Pictures."

The light from the screen passes strangely through his translucent features as he leans in, eyes wide and curious. "But where's the lens? It's so bright, how does it-?" He pulls back suddenly. "No, you're not - you can't distract me with, with -" he waves a hand at the phone - "whatever that is. Seven days, and you're out."

"Whatever you say, my corporeally-challenged friend," Taako says, flicking on a playlist with some decent music to cook to. "I'm not goin' anywhere."

He finds something with a good beat and a nice vibe to it and sets his phone on the counter while he starts pulling out ingredients. When he turns back, Kravitz is leant over the counter, looking at the device intently. He lifts his hand and the rest of him turns misty as his index finger becomes more solid, seemingly so he can nudge the phone gently around to look at the other side. It's an endearing display, so different from the way he'd acted before, filled with wary curiosity.

"What, you don't like Kesha? I can put something more your era on."

Kravitz jumps and takes a step backwards, colour flooding back to the rest of his body from his hand. "It can play music."

"I told you, it does everything. I don't fuckin' know how it works, all wires 'n' circuitboards 'n' shit, but it works."

"Wh-" Kravitz stops, bites at his thumbnail for a second before his curiosity gets the better of him. "Where did you even get it? What's wrong with a gramophone?"

Cute. Taako giggles. "Y'mean like a record player? Only hipsters use those. I guess there's still a crowd for 'em, and a bunch of other shit, but a phone's easiest, usually."

"Phone?"

"Yeah, y'know, a phone." Kravitz looks at him blankly. "Phone? Telephone?"

Kravitz points at the device with an incredulous look. " _That's_ a telephone? But - but where are the wires? How does it dial? It takes photographs!"

Taako covers his mouth to hide his laughter. "Yeah, my man! It's a phone, and a camera, and a record player, and a bunch of other shit all in one. Cool, right?"

Blinking, Kravitz looks at the phone and then back at him. "Where do you put the disc?"

The laughter threatens to return with a vengeance, but Taako fights it down. It's actually really sweet, the way he's asking so earnestly despite himself. "It just knows the songs. Knows just about all of 'em, in fact. You got a request?"

Kravitz wavers, clearly torn between his desire to learn more and his stance on having another person in his house. Taako decides to give him a push. "It knows Clair de Lune, that's a classic, right?"

"...A classic?" Kravitz says, wrinkling his nose. That's kinda adorable. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"I mean it's like a hundred years old and has no bass to dance to."

Seemingly offended, Kravitz frowns. "That song's not that old. And it's beautiful, I should have expected you to have poor taste."

"Fine, how old is it then, mister classical music buff?"

There's a pause where Kravitz opens his mouth to reply, but no words come out. "I can't - I don't remember," he says quietly, looking troubled. There's no anger left in him now, and his features are much softer for it. Rather than angry, he just looks kind of... lost.

Feeling a little guilty, Taako picks up his phone and looks up the song. "Nineteen-oh-five. So yeah, about a hundred years. Hundred and ten, twelve actually."

The anger returns with a derisive snort. "That's ridiculous, you're a liar as well as a trespasser. I bet that's not even a telephone," Kravitz scoffs, turning on his heel and walking briskly towards the door. "One week, remember."

Taako bristles at that - just who the hell does this guy think he is, making accusations when he's actually telling the truth for once? And after he'd been nice! "I'm not lyin', homes. Don't you know what year it is?"

"Of course I know!" Kravitz huffs as he exits the room, "But evidently _you're_ more stupid than I thought."

He tries to slam the kitchen door behind him, but his hand passes straight through the knob, leaving a coating of frost behind. He stops and stares at it for a second, frowning, then reaches for it again, colour rushing to his fingers like it had before, and taps it a couple of times, before shaking his head and continuing on his way.

"A hundred years," Taako hears him mutter haughtily from the hallway, "what a gross exaggeration."

Taako ignores him. Fuckin' stuck-up weirdo. He puts him out of mind and finishes making his meal. Thanks to that little distraction, he's fucking starving, and he decides to make something that smells as good and as strongly as possible to remind this uppity ghost what he's missing out on. At least, he thinks he must be missing out. Can ghosts eat? Can they even smell?

Whatever, he's got a baller dinner and his asshole housemate is getting none of it.

Still, his mind keeps straying back to that troubled, lost look that had slipped across Kravitz's face. Taako had thought he was hot even scowling, but without a frown harshening his features he was fucking gorgeous. _Drop dead gorgeous,_ Taako thinks, giggling a little to himself, then a lot more. Oh, _fuck_ yes, death puns are an untapped resource - and all the better, Kravitz is gonna  _hate_ them.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm trying to make the chapters a little longer for this, we'll see how that goes. I'd normally split up chapters like this into two or three parts, so let me know how it reads.
> 
> Also, slight excuse for me to shout about modern phones and how cool they are. They just do so much shit!! I do all my writing on my phone like how cool is that!!


	3. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taako gets a second opinion on his problem.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things I should be doing: My mountain of uni work
> 
> Things I am doing: Thiiiis

 

An insistent voice cuts his lie-in short. For a second, his brain jumps to pin Lup as the source, but no, Lup sure doesn't have an accent like _that_.

"-up. Wake  _up_! Oh for fuck's-" There's a weak tug at the duvet, and Taako pulls it closer, whining indignantly. Does this guy have no heart at all, hounding him awake like this on his day off?

Actually, now that he thinks about it, he probably doesn't, but that's besides the point.

"Mmfck off, 'sshole," he slurs into his pillow, turning over.

"Oh, a response, at fucking last!" Kravitz cries, sounding exasperated. "There's someone at the door."

Yanking his headphones out, Taako props himself up a little to squint groggily at him where he's standing at the foot of the bed, irritated at having his sleep interrupted after he'd finally managed to drown out the intermittent banging that had continued late into the night. He flops back onto the pillows. "Why're you tellin' me? Thought this was your house, Casper. Go scare 'm off, 'snt that your whole deal?"

Moving towards the door, Kravitz makes an aggravated noise. "It's a child. They've been sat out there knocking and calling for you for ten minutes. Go deal with them."

Taako sits up with a groan. Angus. With all the spectral bullshit, he'd forgotten he was supposed to be babysitting him today while Lucretia was away picking up some rare book for her library. Not that he really needed the supervision, kid had probably walked himself over when Taako hadn't come to pick him up, ahead of his years as ever.

"I'm guessing that noise means you know who it is?"

"Yeah, 'smy fucking, friend's kid. Ward. Whatever. 'M looking after 'm for today," he mumbles, rubbing his eyes. He fixes Kravitz with a sour look. "Y'd better not pull any shit with 'm. 'S a good kid, been tossed round 'nough."

Kravitz huffs. "I'm not going to hurt a child. Children don't  _know better_ ," he says, biting the last two words out with a pointed glare. Taako just grins at him.

"Aw, y're not c'mpletely dead 'nside. Y'gonna let 'm in, then?"

"Get up and do it yourself. You're a terrible guardian," Kravitz says from the doorway, words sharp with contempt. Taako yawns and stretches, glad he'd chosen to wear something to bed if he was gonna be getting uninvited guests in his room. In better circumstances, he absolutely wouldn't object to having a tall drink of water like that in his personal space with him undressed, but this is war, and that means showing no weaknesses. He rolls out of bed with a dramatic moan.

"Mph, fine. You wanna get outta my room? I'll be a minute, gotta make m'self presentable," he says, traipsing over to his dresser. "Kid can wait a little longer, bet he's nose-deep 'n a book size of his fuckin' head."

Kravitz growls and stalks away, muttering something about whose room it is. Taako smiles. Victory.

He doesn't take too long in throwing on some clothes and wrangling his hair into a bun; he does kinda like the kid after all, and he'd hate to see him end up with a cold or some kind of frostbite because of his lapse. But even so, by the time he makes it downstairs, Angus is already standing awkwardly in the hallway, clutching his oversized satchel.

"Um," he says, "the door opened? I thought you let me in, but no-one was there."

Taako snickers quietly to himself. Ghost man has a soft spot for kids, who'd've thunk. "House has a mind of its own. If I make you breakfast will you promise not to tell Lucretia I forgot to pick you up?"

Angus considers for a second, then nods. Taako squints at him. "This is a blood pact, kid, I'm gonna need at least verbal confirmation."

"Yes, sir! I won't tell her, but only if you make the chocolate stuffed pancakes," the boy grins.

"Sure, fine, fancy ass pancakes for a fancy ass boy," he smirks, flicking Angus' tiny bow tie. "Would it kill ya to dress in something from this century?"

"It always pays to look professional, sir!" Angus chirps, and scampers away into the kitchen. Taako chuckles quietly as he follows, shaking his head and trying to fight down a smile. Kid's a fuckin' nerd.

They're not disturbed for most of the day while Angus powers through his (college level) schoolwork and Taako shows him how to make some killer brownies, except for the occasional interruption to the lighting, but Taako's getting used to that by now. The burner flares up and almost singes the loose parts of his hair when he tries to boil some water to make them some tea in the afternoon, but when Angus hears the whistle of steam and rushes to take the kettle off the flames before he can do it himself, nothing happens. In fact, he thinks he sees the fire shrink a little as Angus approaches it, and bites back a smirk. Wolf to dog in a flash, and all it took was one small boy. Maybe he'd have Angus round more often.

Once it hits early evening and the sun is starting to skim the horizon, he pats Angus on the shoulder and stands from where he'd been sitting next to him at the counter, pretending to help him with his homework even though they both know that level of theoretical physics is way over his head.

"Think I should probably be taking you home soon, pumpkin. Luc'll probably be getting back around now."

Angus closes his textbook. "Alright, but first, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure, kid. Shoot."

Voice barely a whisper, Angus leans in with intense focus. "Do you have some kind of paranormal entity in this house with you?"

Taako pauses, trying to play off his hesitation with a laugh. Of course, he shouldn't have been surprised by that. Angus is too smart not to have figured it out. "What makes you say that?"

"Well, the door opened by itself, for one, plus the air inside is much colder than it should be, there are broken objects everywhere, the stove tried to burn you and the lights keep flickering, but you haven't complained about any of it, so it must be caused by something you wouldn't want me to know about. Also, that chair has moved since we came in, and neither of us has been near it," Angus says quietly, pointing towards one of the dining chairs which has been turned side-on to the table to face them.

"Barry been filling your head with stories?"

"No, I'm just looking at the available evidence and seeing what makes sense."

Taako rubs at his temple. There'll be no dissuading the kid now he knows something's up. He turns to the chair that Angus had indicated with a resigned sigh, raising his voice a little. "Hey, Casper, why don't you be polite and introduce yourself?"

Kravitz fades into view with a carefully neutral expression on his face, legs crossed casually as he leans back in the chair with an elbow propped on the table, head leaning on his fist. His other hand is lying in his lap, fingers tapping out a restless rhythm on his thigh. "The last time I introduced myself to someone, it didn't end well for me."

Taako smirks at him, but there's a warning in it. "Be nice, he's just a kid."

Foregoing his usual spiel about his age, Angus turns in his seat, exuding excitement in waves. "It's very nice to meet you, sir! I'm Angus!"

"Kravitz. Charmed, I'm sure," Kravitz says in a tone of voice that suggests exactly the opposite.

"So you're the original owner of this house?"

"Owner. No adjectives."

Angus barely blinks, though the look he had received for that question was icy. He's got that look in his eye that sparks up whenever some individual or piece of information catches his interest - whenever he senses a mystery. "I see. I'm sorry if I spoke out of turn."

"You have more manners than he does," Kravitz says, jerking his chin at Taako, who barks a laugh.

"I might've been more polite if you hadn't smacked me around so much, Casper."

Kravitz narrows his eyes at him. "Why do you keep calling me that? I told you my name, you could at least use it."

"What, Casper? Casper the friendly ghost? Little joke at your expense."

"What's that got to-?" Kravitz starts, but Angus jumps in instead, having pulled a small notebook and pen from his bag.

"Do you mind if I ask you some questions, sir?"

Immediately dropping whatever he'd been about to say, Kravitz fixes Angus with a confused frown. "Why? You won't see me again. A few more days and I'm forcibly removing your friend from the premises."

"Why not do it now?"

"I'm... still recovering," Kravitz says, averting his eyes.

"From what?"

Taako sits back down and watches the exchange curiously. Something had tipped Angus into detective mode, and he thinks he's starting to see what. Kravitz watches Angus carefully for a few seconds before huffing and turning his eyes away again.

"I can't go outside, I get a headache and pass out. Some kind of extreme agoraphobia," he admits begrudgingly, moving his hand from his lap to pick at the grain of the wooden table. "Your friend took advantage of that, and I'm still out of sorts."

"So how do you get food?"

That question has Kravitz pressing his lips into a hard line. "Why do you ask so many questions? You're a very precocious child."

Angus smiles, swinging his legs as they dangle from the chair. "I get that a lot. You're not from here, are you, sir?"

Something about that seems to catch him off-balance. "No, I - no."

"From your accent, I'd guess you're from London, right?"

"Yes," Kravitz says, radiating surprise and finally lifting his head from his hand. "Yes, I am. London. Whitechapel."

"So how long have you lived here, exactly?"

"...A long time."

Angus' pen scratches across his notebook, and he hums, maybe a little placatingly. "I thought so. Say, how'd you sleep last night? Taako's pretty loud, he didn't keep you awake?"

"What do you care? Shouldn't you be on his side?" Kravitz says, gesturing vaguely in Taako's direction.

"Just curious," Angus says, still smiling. "What did you have for dinner last night?"

"I - are you, are you interrogating me? I'll remind you that you two are the ones trespassing here."

"Didn't you let me in?" Angus asks brightly, and Kravitz glowers.

"Are you going somewhere with this? Or do you ask everyone this many questions?"

"Well, if you'd rather I get to the point, I can," Angus says, smile never leaving his face.

"Please do."

"Alright." Angus sets his notebook on the counter behind him and folds his hands in his lap. "What's dying like?"

The lights in the room dim and flicker dangerously. Between flashes, Taako catches an expression on Kravitz's face that's equal parts frustration, confusion, and, to Taako's surprise,  _fear_. "Get out of my house."

Angus curls back a little, though he's picked up his notebook again. "I'm very sorry, sir, I didn't mean to upset you."

"I don't care! Both of you, get _out_! Can't you just leave me in peace?" Kravitz yells, rising from his seat and slamming a palm on the table. Unlike with the doorknob the previous night, his hand connects, but the impact still sounds more muffled than it should.

Taako moves in front of Angus reflexively. "Don't you come near him. Don't worry, Angus, he can't do shit to you right now." He hopes.

There's a low rattling that fills the room as the windows start to shake slightly, Kravitz's expression now back to smouldering anger. Or, mostly anger, but there's something of an edge to it. Something cornered. "Enjoy the time you have left here, it won't be long," he growls, and then the lights blink again, and he's gone. A door slams on the other side of the room, and then another from upstairs.

"Fuckin' asshole," Taako mutters. "You okay, Agnes?"

"I'm fine. You shouldn't blame him too much, I was pushing him on purpose," Angus says absently, scribbling something down in his notebook.

Taako turns to him in exasperation. "And why in the fuck would you do that?"

Angus looks up with a crease on his brow, some series of thoughts constructing themselves behind his eyes. "I don't think he knows he's dead. Or, to be more accurate, some part of him does - enough to take advantage of the things he can do, or he might not even realise they're out of the ordinary - but the surface level, the conscious part, hasn't accepted it." He turns back to his notebook and circles something on the page. "It's the classic grieving model, he just hasn't been able to move past stage one."

"Stage one would be... denial?"

Angus nods. He looks sure of himself.

Tugging at a loose strand of hair, Taako leans back against the counter and folds his arms. "That's... I mean, he did get real funny about it when I told him Clair de Lune was fuckin' ancient. But how can you not  _know_  something like that?"

Angus chews the end of his pen. "It's not that he doesn't know, he just won't accept it. If he thinks that song is recent, he must've died somewhere around the turn of the last century, and thinks people just keep trying to claim his house for themselves. It would explain why he called us trespassers." 

He underlines a few chunks of notes in his book, illegible to Taako seeing as it's written in Angus' self-created shorthand. "He kept deflecting or changing the subject whenever I asked something he couldn't explain. It's like he knows something's off, but refuses to face it directly. Which I guess makes sense. It's gotta be pretty scary."

Taako expels a puff of air through his lips. "Spooky boy's got some issues to work through."

Taking a second to mark his page, Angus ties his notebook shut. "Yeah, but I really don't think you should try to bring it up. You'll probably only, only make him angry like I just did. He seems to be prone to lashing out, a-and I-I don't want you getting hurt, sir," he says, actually looking like a scared little boy for a second as he looks up at Taako with worried eyes.

"I _swear_ I'll do my _best,_ " Taako sighs, piling on as much melodrama as possible, "not to _provoke_ him, Agnes. You think I'd put these looks in jeopardy?"

That seems to reassure Angus a little, and he hops down from his seat and hooks his bag over his shoulder. "Please try, sir. I'll bet none of the previous owners stayed for very long, right?"

"That's what the couple next door told me, yeah."

"In that case, I don't think he's been exposed to anyone long enough for him to question whatever rationalization he's built for himself. I think if you just keep interacting with him, he'll figure it out on his own. Maybe that'll put him to rest - that's supposed to be the whole thing with ghosts, isn't it? That something's keeping them here?"

A grin starts to form on Taako's face. "Interacting, huh? So I just gotta keep fucking with him?"

"That's not what I-"

Taako pats Angus roughly on the head. "Nah, I get it. Keep messing with him until he figures it out, no problem."

"No, I didn't - _please_ be careful, sir," Angus says, pushing his glasses back onto his nose.

"Ugh, who are you, my dad? It'll be fine," Taako assures, pushing the boy towards the door.

He takes Angus home, reminding him to keep his mouth shut about that morning and about his unusual housemate before handing him off to Lucretia at their door. Of course, he graciously accepts the offer of a thank you dinner, too, never one to turn down a free meal even if it's not as good as his own food.

The stereo remains off on the ride back as he turns over Angus' suggestion in his head. He's a scarily smart kid, and Taako could count the times he'd made an incorrect deduction on one hand, but the idea that someone could have been dead for a century without realizing it... it's a little far-fetched, even if it had come from Angus. He'd have to test it before anything else.

He's vaguely unsurprised to find the door refusing to unlock when he tries to turn the key. Sighing, he walks over to tap on the window. "Listen, we can do this if you want, but if you don't let me in I'm just gonna break a window instead. Your choice."

There's no response. He shrugs and descends from the porch to pick up a rock from the wilted flowerbed next to the fence, then heads back up the steps and weighs it in his hand. Right as he swings his arm back in preparation, there's a clicking sound, and the door creaks open. He snorts a laugh under his breath and strolls through, tossing the rock over the porch railing.

Shutting the door behind him and pulling off his shoes, he glances around to find Kravitz glaring at him from the upper landing of the stairs, leaning forward onto the banister.

"So, you like kids, huh?"

"I told you, children don't know better."

"That's not a no. I knew you were a softie."

Kravitz huffs and drums his fingers on the wood under his hands. "You're lucky I'm not feeling better yet, or I'd have thrown you both out."

"Sure you would, that's why you didn't bother the kid all day, huh?"

The corners of Kravitz's mouth twitch downwards in irritation. "You're the problem here, not him. He wouldn't have been here if not for you."

"Right, right." Taako starts up the stairs, keeping a careful eye on him just in case he does find a way to make him lose his footing somehow. Kravitz just watches him in return, not moving from his position, only turning his head to follow his progress. He turns as Taako reaches the top of the stairs and walks past him, settling with his back against the railing instead so he can keep his eyes on him. The way he stares is a little unnerving. Annoying, actually. Taako winks at him and blows a kiss. "Like what you see, homes?"

Kravitz rolls his eyes, unimpressed, but he stops staring. "You're incredibly full of yourself, are you aware?"

"I have been told. But honestly, when you look this good why shouldn't you be?" Taako drawls as he heads over to his room. He pauses just outside, remembering his thought that he should put Angus' theory to the test. He turns back to Kravitz, who's still leaning against the banister watching him, arms folded. "Do you... know," he tries carefully, "what you are?"

Not the right way to ask. Kravitz's face is like thunder. "And what's that supposed to mean?" he snaps.

Taako waves a hand and leans back against the doorframe. "Not tryna insult you, bubeleh, cool your jets. I mean, do you know that you're, like-" He pauses, considering his words as Kravitz watches him warily. "That you're not..." With a frustrated sigh, he gives up and trails off, unsure of how to phrase the question in a way that won't get something thrown at his head.

Kravitz shifts impatiently against the banister. "That I'm not _what_?"

The lights flicker slightly with his words. Right, the _house_. Taako licks his lips and tries a new question. "You know you don't own this place anymore, right? Like, I bought it," he says, watching Kravitz's reaction carefully. 

A faint tremor has the light fixtures swinging from the ceiling. That low-burning anger has returned to Kravitz's voice as he watches him with a glare that could freeze the sun. "I never sold this house to anyone, and the only way you'd ever own it is over my dead body. Is that why you're here? To murder me and take my home?"

Stunned, Taako blinks at him. "You really don't know, do you?"

"Don't know _what_?" Kravitz shouts, pushing himself up from the banister and stalking over to get up in his face. Taako stares him down, unflinching even as he feels himself tensing up. "Why you've decided you can just come in here and make yourself at home? No, I don't know, would you care to explain it to me? Because I'd be _fascinated_ to find out."

Taako presses his lips together and studies him for a second, considering his options - though in all honesty it's a little distracting having that annoyingly handsome face so close. He could yell back, or even just ignore him completely. Or, he could try diplomacy. Moral high ground, or something. 

"...You might not have sold this place, but someone did," he says evenly, "and I bought it, and I have the paperwork to prove it."

"Oh, of course you do," Kravitz says disdainfully, turning away and throwing up a hand at him before folding his arms again. "You'll excuse me if I don't believe you. You're not the first person to try to just, just _move in_ here." He turns back to face him, raising his eyebrows a little. "Although, I will give you that no-one else ever kept up whatever game you're all playing as long as you have. Did someone put you up to this? Are you being paid?"

Taako sighs and resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. Guy has a thicker skull than he'd thought. Or maybe he's just that stubborn. "No-one's payin' me for anything, homes, I fuckin' wish. You might not believe me, but I bought this place fair an' square, and I'm not leaving."

It's getting to be a familiar sensation, being glared at. "Oh, you _will_ leave. I meant what I said, if you're not out of here in the next six days, you will not like how things go for you."

"That a fact?"

Kravitz lifts his chin defiantly. "Yes."

Tilting his head, Taako smiles demurely at him. Alright. If ghost boy wants to keep up his delusion, he can play along for now. He can do stubborn, too. "Y'know what? I'm kinda tired, think I'm gonna head to sleep. You were up pretty late last night bangin' around, gonna head off for a snooze, too?"

Kravitz scoffs at him. "How am I supposed to do that with an intruder loose in my house? You'll probably rob me blind or try to kill me in my sleep the moment I take my eyes off you."

Taako snickers to himself. "Alright, sure. Night, Casper."

"I told you, my name's not-!" But Taako's already shut the door on him with a flourish. After a second, he opens it again, shoving a finger in Kravitz's face before he can make a sound.

"And you can lay off the percussion routine, it's not gonna do you any good. I can just drown it out, so save yourself the energy."

Kravitz blinks at him for a second, then opens his mouth to spit a retort. " _You_ -"

Taako slams the door in his face again. Asshole. He'll see which of them lasts the week.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and once again for all the lovely comments on the last chapter!
> 
> This is turning out to be longer and more slow burn than I intended, seems to be a recurring habit of mine. Hopefully it's not /too/ slow burn for you all :')
> 
> Edit: I just realised this chapter got kinda serious? I promise the next couple are back to goofs


	4. The Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A series of encounters.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I didn't mean for this to take so long but I just couldn't stop tweaking it, sorry for the wait!
> 
> Anyway, that last chapter was a little serious, huh? This one is decidedly not

 

Taako fully intends to keep to his plan, too, but it proves much harder for him to mess with a ghost than for a ghost to mess with him.

That night, rather than noise, it's a dense chill that blankets do nothing to remedy which keeps him awake, and when he drags himself out of bed to get ready for work, the bathroom mirror remains stubbornly fogged, the surface misting again in seconds every time he tries to wipe it clear. Things slam in the silence of the house without warning, and it feels like it only ever happens when he's holding something fragile for him to drop. It seems like if he can't physically throw him out, Kravitz is instead planning on making the house hell to live in.

Well, two can play at that game. Taako retaliates by doing any task he can as loud as physically possible, leaving everything a mess (though that isn't really something that he has to go out of his way to do), and treating the entire house with practiced irreverence. It's funny picturing the internal struggle Kravitz must be faced with when he has to decide whether to leave his house looking like a tornado's just swept through it or be forced to clean up after him. Either one is a win.

A couple of times, Kravitz appears physically and tells him to leave, and Taako refuses, and they argue, and eventually Kravitz gets volcanically frustrated and vanishes without a second's warning, leaving a few toppled objects in his wake. Those, too, are small, satisfying victories.

It's going well enough, Taako thinks; he's not put out too much and Kravitz seems to be a lot more angry about the situation than he is. He'd probably be able to keep this up long enough to wear the guy down, if not for the fact that his ghostly housemate is slowly recovering his strength. By the time they get three days through the week, small objects start pushing themselves off of shelves or flipping themselves over at semi-regular intervals. Several times during that evening Taako comes into the kitchen to find his herbs that he keeps in pots on the windowsill covered in frost or tipped over and spilling soil onto the counter. It's like living with an ill-tempered cat.

Which, incidentally, gives him an idea.

 

**_hey barry?_ **

_What's up_

**_you know how you owe me_ **

_Do I_

**_yup_ **

**_didnt tell lup about when you got so nervous before your first date you threw up_ **

_You didn't have to bring that up_

**_i mean you were the one bringing stuff up at the time_ **

_Please for the love of god taako_

_Just, what is it_

**_youre too easy barold_ **

**_what could i get in liquid form that would fuck up a ghost, in theory_ **

_Why_

_What's this about?_

**_no questions or im gonna tell lup about your incident and youll_ _never hear the end of it_**

_Are you blackmailing me for theoretical ghost advice?_

**_yep. spill_ **

_Sure, fine, I guess._ _Salt is a pain in the ass for ghosts, in theory. Thats what everything I've read says_

_Has to be rock salt though, not any other kind_

_You could probably put some in some water_

**_thx bj your secrets safe xoxo_ **

_Do I even want to know_

**_probably but im not tellin ya_ **

_I could ask Lup_

**_you do that and im DEFINITELY telling her everything bluejeans_ **

**_including how long you were fuckin pining_ **

_I wasn't PINING_

_I was_

_Waiting for the right time_

**_yuh huh_ **

**_that's why it took me givin you a hot and fresh kick up the ass to get you to finally open your mouth_ **

**_nerd_ **

_Fine, I get it, enjoy your mysterious salt water quest_

**_oh im gonna barold. trust me it's the best reason ive ever had for putting salt in water_ **

**_after cookin pasta cause that shits delicious_ **

**_nyway bye_ **

 

Humming to himself, Taako digs out what he needs from an assortment of cupboards and makes his preparations. Then he picks his plants up from where they've been knocked over again, gives them some water, and settles himself at the kitchen counter with a book, not taking in a single word from the pages as he tries not to giggle in anticipation.

Not two minutes later, the plants' leaves start to frost over, and one of them topples onto the counter. Taako grins, and then he strikes.

Kravitz leaps backwards into view with a startled yelp, rubbing at his face. "Ow! _Ow_ , fuck - that, that hurts!" he exclaims, looking bewildered. "What the hell is that?"

The water in the spray bottle sloshes around as Taako shakes it at him, pleased his little project had turned out a success. "Just something I mixed up. Figure if you're gonna act like a badly-behaved animal I'm gonna treat you like one."

Still rubbing at his skin, Kravitz shoots him a glare. "Fuck you, you came into my home and - ow, shit!" he shouts, flinching away from the spray. "You can't - I'm a fuckin' person, you arse!"

Taako cocks his head slightly. There's that broad Cockney again, when a second before it had been clipped and controlled boarding-school diction. Inconsistent seems to just be the nature of Kravitz's accent, but it's more noticeable the angrier he gets, slipping further and further away from formal English. Weird, but now's not the time to ponder that. Taako sets the bottle down and pokes a finger at him.

"Act like it then! I don't see what's so bad about having someone to share with, don't you get lonely here all on your own?"

Kravitz stills and just looks at him for a few seconds, then winks out. A second later, there's a pained yelp behind him, and he reappears, shaking his hand like he's just burnt it. Taako turns around and laughs. "You didn't think I'd coat the bottle with it? Oh, my sweet, naïve boy."

He doesn't get a reply; Kravitz is too busy cradling his hand, gritting his teeth as he clenches it into a fist against the pain. "Fucking-" he starts, and then launches into a stream of colourful swearing, including several curses Taako hasn't even heard before. It's fucking hysterical.

"My dude, what is _with_ the accent? You're jumping around like your mouth's wearing moon shoes," he snorts, trying to hold back the worst of the laughter but not succeeding in the slightest.

"You're one to talk! You sound ridiculous!" Kravitz snarls, suddenly back to distinguished again as he shakes out and flexes his fingers. Taako laughs even harder.

"At least I'm fuckin' consistent! Can't you just pick one and stick with it?"

Kravitz growls at him and starts to head towards the door, still holding his injured hand close and muttering something in another language that Taako doesn't understand, but that he strongly suspects might be more obscenities. He wipes his eyes and leans his head on his hand, still giggling. "Aw, hey, Krav, where you goin'?"

Kravitz rounds on him, though he doesn't move any closer, eyes flicking towards the spray bottle still within Taako's reach. "I'm not just going to stand here while you put me in pain and make fun of my accent!"

"Okay, alright, I'm _sorry_ , jeez, you're so fuckin' sensitive."

Stiffening, Kravitz scowls and looks down at his hand, massaging the skin. He has nice hands, Taako remembers from their brief contact outside in the cold. Nails all immaculate except for his left thumbnail, which is ragged and bitten short, and skin that's not soft, but worn firm and dry like old leather underneath the weird static field he gives off. Good hands.

Shame about the person they're attached to.

"I'm not sensitive, you're just being cruel," Kravitz huffs.

"My man, with skin that thin it's a wonder I can't see right through it," Taako says, tittering a little at his own private joke. "Y'know, you'd think you'd have a little more self-confidence with looks like those."

"And I wouldn't expect language like yours from a such a pretty face, but looks aren't-"

Kravitz freezes and claps a hand over his mouth, and then vanishes, leaving Taako to wonder what the hell just happened.

Did he just aggravate an angry spirit into complimenting him?

He thinks he did.

And he'd looked so _embarrassed_.

It's enough to have him doubled over with laughter before he's suddenly silenced by something cold and wet hitting him in the face with a very unpleasant slap. Slowly, he reaches up to scoop sodden soil away from his eyes and flick it onto the floor. When he looks up, Kravitz receives his glare with an expression that might just be amusement.

"That suits you much better," he remarks, and disappears again.

Taako allows himself a moment to seethe before taking a deep breath and going to wash the dirt and battered mint leaves off of his face and out of his hair, unhurried. He's not angry, he's cool and unphased and a non-reaction will piss Kravitz off, he'd figured that out pretty quickly.

Besides, he may have lost the battle, but he isn't going to lose the war.

-

The bottle keeps Kravitz off his back for the most part, though he can't keep it around all the time, and it doesn't stop him from messing things up when Taako's not looking or if he can't figure out exactly where Kravitz is. Still, it works as a deterrent, enough to earn him some uninterrupted sleep and to be able to move around the house without being tripped up by rugs or furniture. There are more appearances, conversations that still always end the usual way, except now the casualties are starting to extend to shattered light bulbs and mirrors instead of just tipped plants and mugs of coffee.

Taako thinks up his next scheme four nights into his seven-day time limit. He sets up in the bathroom while Kravitz is off banging around in another part of the house, Taako having annoyed him into disappearing once again, knowing that Kravitz won't come near again until he's cooled off. It's more than enough time for Taako to replace his usual candles and hide them away, and set his new ones up in their place.

The last couple of days, he'd had to take his baths in the dark because the lights kept flickering off as soon as he entered the water, and when he'd tried to replace them with candles (which honestly wouldn't have even been that big of a deal because he liked the atmosphere anyway) a cold breeze kept snuffing them out no matter how many times he got out of the free-standing bath to relight them. It was annoying, and on top of that, he didn't like the idea that Kravitz was _in the room with him_ while he was taking a bath. Handsome or no, that was just invasive. So Taako had to find a way to turn it back on him, at least a little.

Trap primed, he turns off the lights, settles into the foamy water with a contented sigh, and waits, submerging himself until the surface is lapping around his mouth and enjoying the atmosphere of the candlelight flickering valiantly against the near-darkness.

It takes a while, long enough that he thinks he might actually be left alone, but then a breeze fills the room and the candles snuff themselves out. And then immediately spark back on. A minute later, they're blown out again, and the same thing happens. He sinks down a little further and tries not to laugh.

A third repeat of this, and the door flies open, Kravitz looking accusingly at the dim glow at the far side of the room. He strides over and blows them out, and they relight again. "How the fuck," he mutters to himself. "So he's trying to burn the place down now, too?"

Huh. Guess he hadn't been in the room, at least. He could probably send a gust of air under the door without entering. But, Taako thinks, that doesn't change the fact that he's in here _now_.

He turns and rests his arms over the side of the bath, frowning. "Okay, we really need to have a conversation about boundaries, specifically you being in here while I'm tryna take a bath."

Kravitz looks like he'd have jumped out of his skin if he had any, turning sharply to stare at him. Taako waves at him from his position leant over the edge of the tub, a little bemused.

"You're not," Kravitz says, "in your room."

"Nope. Takin' a bath. Hence the candles."

"I heard voices from your - from the room you're occupying."

Taako blinks and pulls at his lip. Voices? Had he left his laptop open with Netflix still on? He must've.

"Radio," he says, then frowns at himself. Why is he lying for this guy's comfort? He'll have to face facts eventually anyway. Silly. Next time he'll just say it, let him try to figure out the concept of the internet while Taako laughs.

"I thought-" Kravitz starts, looking blindsided, but then he scowls and sets his jaw, turning back to the candles with a contemptuous sigh. "Doesn't matter. Why should I respect your boundaries? You clearly don't respect mine, or you'd have left by now."

"Yeah, I'm gonna say those two things are ever so slightly different, my guy. For one, you're fully dressed."

"That's not - it's not like I came in here for _you,_ " Kravitz huffs, and to Taako's mild disappointment, he does seem completely disinterested, ignoring him in favour of blowing on the candles again. "And I haven't been in here while you were bathing before," he adds in a slightly abashed mumble. "I have standards, even if you are an uninvited guest."

Taako raises an eyebrow. So he's more than happy to injure him at any opportunity, but he won't come into the room while he's taking a bath? Weird guy. Maybe he's going soft, or maybe, Taako thinks, smirking, it has something to do with his ' _pretty face_ '. That could be useful.

"You're telling me you weren't at all interested in gettin' a look at this?" he says, wiggling around in the bath so the water swishes audibly.

Kravitz still doesn't look over, picking up one of the candles and looking underneath like it might have a switch. "What? Of course I'm not - that's - you're very conceited."

Taako pouts. Looks like that plan's a bust. "Whatever. You wanna leave now? Those aren't gonna go out."

"See, you don't get to tell me when I can and can't be somewhere, that's the thing about making yourself at home in someone else's house," Kravitz mutters, setting the candle back down and squinting at the others with his face only a few inches away from the flames. "Where do you even _get_ these things?" he says, mostly to himself.

"Well, I'm not gonna relax with you in here. Guess bathtime's over," Taako sighs, and makes to get out of the tub. The door shuts so fast the gust of air it generates blows the candles out again, and he sinks back down into the water and cackles hysterically into his hands as they flicker back to life. Ghost boy has more respect for his privacy than he pretends, that's cute. He's still pissed at him for coming into the room at all, though.

And maybe he's also a little offended that he hadn't even seemed _tempted_ to look. Just the tiniest bit. Taako's gorgeous, who wouldn't want to? Someone with no taste, clearly. Unless-

Suddenly, the room turns criminally frigid, and the bathwater starts to lose heat almost as rapidly as Kravitz had left the room. Taako finishes washing in a hurry and throws himself out of the tub before he ends up a human popsicle, cursing Kravitz's fucking incorporeal guts. His teeth start to chatter as he dries himself off, until he clamps his jaw shut, resolved not to give that asshole the satisfaction of hearing his discomfort. This one's a draw.

-

Day five, Taako has an exceedingly tiring day at work. He goes straight to his room when he gets home and collapses onto the bed, enjoying the way the mattress bounces him back up a few times. Feeling whimsical, he lifts himself up and drops again, the bedsprings compressing and expanding underneath him as he smiles a little in childish silliness. Then, he thinks of the small bag downstairs in the kitchen that he hasn't really put to use yet, and throws himself off the covers towards the door with barely contained glee. That'll be a great way to blow off some steam.

Five minutes later, he's leaping up and down on the bed, whooping loudly with his hair flying wildy around him.

"Hey, Krav! I found something fun, you didn't tell me these mattresses were so bouncy!"

Kravitz appears at the open doorway, frowning. "Hey! What do you think you're-"

He tries to take a step forward and rebounds like he's just hit a wall. "What-? You - what did you _do_?" he asks accusingly, rubbing his nose. Taako finds a cool satisfaction in it, thinking of his only recently removed bandage; isn't that some fun payback?

Hopping down off the bed to stand opposite Kravitz, he giggles, pointing at the line of white crystals lining the entrance to his bedroom. "Just salt. I bought a whooole bunch, just for you, my man."

Kravitz looks down at the floor and frowns, seeming confused. Crouching, he reaches out to try to brush the salt away, and snatches his hand back with a hissed breath when it makes contact, shaking off his fingers.

His eyes stray to the spray bottle next to Taako's bed, and then back to his fingers and the undisturbed white line, and then he stands again, still frowning and lifting a hand to bite at his thumbnail.

"Does a number on you, huh? Now my room's off-limits," Taako smirks.

Shaken from his thoughts, Kravitz stares blankly for a second, then folds his arms, looking at him with lidded eyes, and taps his foot. The bedroom window thumps open, letting in a rush of frigid winter air that raises goosebumps along Taako's arms and scatters the salt on the floor into incoherent patterns.

"My house. You can't bar me if I want to go in somewhere."

"Wow," Taako drawls, resting his weight on one hip as he leans against the doorframe. "I didn't think you'd be so desperate to get into my bedroom, Romeo."

Sighing, Kravitz turns and walks away down the corridor, taking out a lamp on the way. "Two more days, Taako. I advise you leave before then."

Taako leans out of the doorway to shout after him. "Not a chance, asshole!"

As soon as he's out of sight, Taako runs over to the offending window and slams it shut, huffing and frantically trying to rub the chill from his skin. Another stalemate, he thinks.

Something feels off, though. Not like usual, the now-familiar cycle of calculated teasing and flirting rebuffed with bewilderment and anger and snark. It takes Taako a second to place exactly what it is, and when he does, he stills, blinking in surprise. That had been the first time Kravitz had actually called him by his name instead of just an accusatory _you_. The memory of it echoes in his ears, strange and unfamiliar.

He brushes the salt up off the floor. Maybe they are getting somewhere.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I'm really glad this fic has been so well-received, I'm having a lot of fun with it ^^
> 
> I saw a post on tumblr by interstellarvagabond and mintypigeon that described Krav's alignment as 'lawful petty' and tbh that's this fic. Kravitz is 50% petty asshole and 50% charming sweetheart
> 
> Also, crystal kingdom? Justin asks Griffin if Kravitz has any weaknesses and Griffin says "insults." The thin skin is completely canon, he's a sensitive soul
> 
> Edit 6/12/17 I swear and promise I am still working on this I've been trying to nail my plot down before going any further shouldn't be too much longer!!


	5. The War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A question of motivation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, I blinked and suddenly it had been two weeks ToT

 

On the sixth day, there's a knock at the door. Taako begrudgingly goes to answer it with his hair falling out of its braid and wondering where in the hell he'd put that goddamn spray bottle while the kitchen door swings shut behind him, muffling the crashing sounds inside. The two people on the porch _might_ have been called welcome company on another day, but at the current moment-

"Not a good time, chucklefucks. Come back later."

"What do you mean ' _not a good time'_ \- it's almost Candlenights and we've barely seen you!" Magnus pouts, then shakes a small paper bag at him that's half-disappearing in his huge hand. "I even brought cookies, Jules helped me make 'em."

Taako snatches the cookies from him and shoves one in his mouth, feeling like he needs the sugar and not really caring that both Magnus and his wife are possibly two of the worst cooks he's ever met. But at least they tried. "You got enough cinnamon in these to stock a bakery for a month, zero outta ten," he says, wiping crumbs from his mouth and taking another one from the bag before throwing it back to Magnus, who just sighs. Then he turns to Merle. "You didn't even bring anything! What kinda friend are you, huh?"

The old man isn't even phased by Taako's acidity, more than used to it by now. "The kind that gets worried when it's been like a week since you moved in and you haven't invited us to visit yet. You cancelled game night for no reason, asshole, can't get outta your turn to host that easy."

Taako rolls his eyes and taps his foot impatiently. "Sure, worried, like you don't just wanna have me empty my pantry - whatever, listen, this _really_ isn't a good time, can we do this-" He flinches at another crash coming from the kitchen. That had sounded like his cutlery drawer being upended.

Magnus looks past him in concern. "What the hell was that?"

Taako opens his mouth but finds himself at a loss, unsure how to explain that an angry ghost is currently throwing each and every one of his cooking utensils out of the window in size order. "Uh. Pest problem. Got uh, raccoons. Big, nasty raccoons. Think they own the place."

"You want me to wrangle 'em for you? I'm not too bad with animals-" Magnus offers, cracking his knuckles and stepping towards the entrance.

"No! It's fine, I can deal with it," Taako says, nervously putting himself between Magnus and the doorway. As he moves in front of the door, it swings out to smack him hard in the ass, knocking him bodily into Magnus before slamming shut and locking itself with an audible click, followed shortly by the windows.

"Hey, Taako?"

"Mm-hm?"

"What the fuck was that?"

Taako groans, slumping into Magnus as dramatically as possible. It's like leaning on a flannel-clad brick wall. "I dunno what to tell ya, big guy, house is haunted."

"Haunted."

"Yup."

Merle cocks an eyebrow at him. "Did you hit your head?"

Blowing his disshevelled hair out of his eyes, Taako straightens up and brushes himself off with an exasperated sigh. "See, this is why I haven't told anyone, because none of you fucks are gonna believe me."

"You're telling us there's ghosts in your house, Taako," Magnus says, looking at him with concern.

Taako holds up a finger. "First of all, one ghost, singular, and second, you just saw that shit. Now can we go somewhere else to talk about this before I freeze to death and make it two ghosts? It's like negative five hundred out here."

"I mean, sure, I guess."

Taako gestures for the other two to lead the way down the stairs, and is about to follow them before he thinks better of it. "Oh, hang on one second." He turns back to the house, banging on the door with a fist while he shouts, "I'm comin' back, asshole! And if you try 'n' keep me out I'm gonna break back in and cover the whole goddamn floor with salt!"

There's a clatter to the side of the house as what sounds like several pans eject themselves from the window. Taako carefully expels a sigh through his nose. _Fuck_ this asshole.

"Cool, fuck you too, Casper!" he yells, flipping off one of the windows.

Magnus and Merle exchange a look as Taako breezes past them down the steps, jumping around a little as he tries to warm himself against the bitter chill in the air. He circles round to the side of the house and collects the items strewn across the grass, then shoves them into the trunk of Magnus' car and opens the passenger door. "Y'all fucks coming?" he shouts back across the lawn.

-

One trip to a fairly nearby coffee shop later, the three of them, Taako having stolen at least one of Magnus' many layers of flannel, are sat around a table with drinks of varying sugar and caffeine levels. Which is to say that the other two have drinks with normal amounts of those substances, and Taako's has enough for three people in it.

Magnus is the first to bring it up. "So, a ghost."

Taako sips his coffee, voice flat. "Yup. Big ol' douchebag ghost."

Merle leans an elbow on the table and frowns at him. "I'm callin' bullshit."

"I would've thought you'd be a bit quicker to accept this shit, seeing as you're a believer 'n' all that," Taako quips, giving him a carefully crafted look that combines boredom, disdain, and aloof detachment.

"Yeah, a religious believer! Not _ghosts_ , are you kiddin' me?"

"You saw that door lock itself. I didn't touch it."

"Old houses do shit like that all the time."

Taako lets a little irritation seep into his voice; bad enough that these two had stuck their noses into his business, they could at least have the decency not to doubt him. "And the windows, too? All my shit throwing itself onto the lawn? How'd you think I got that cut on my face?"

"I figured you were clumsy, not haunted," Merle says with mild indignance. "Say it's true, if this ghost is such an asshole, why're you still hangin' around?"

Taking the opportunity to open a sandwich so he can maybe have lunch without it ending up in his hair or on his face, Taako waves his hand noncommittally. "Angus said he doesn't know he's dead. Figure I can wait him out, and when he finally gets it I get the place to myself at last."

"He doesn't _know_?" Magnus asks incredulously.

"Doesn't seem like it. Honestly, seems like the kinda guy to get an idea in his head and not let go of it until someone removes it by force. Y'know, stubborn," Taako says through a mouthful of egg mayo. It's a shitty sandwich, but at least he can eat in peace. Well, relative peace, he thinks, pointedly ignoring Magnus' exasperated look.

"You want me to come cleanse the place? I bet that'd get rid of 'im," Merle says, waving a spoon at him. "if he's real."

Taako brings his drink to his lips, savouring the caffeine. "Nah, not worth it. Taako can do stubborn, too."

Magnus raises an eyebrow. "Taako, the last time someone accidentally spilled coffee on your shirt you bit their goddamn head off, and you're telling me you don't wanna send this asshole packing?"

"I mean, I don't wanna _kill_ the guy."

"Isn't he already dead?"

"Well yeah, but like, what happens when you exorcise a ghost? Seems kinda extreme if it's gonna send him straight to hell or limbo or wherever. He's not _that_ bad," Taako sniffs, frowning. Guy's an asshole, but he's pretty sure he doesn't deserve to be obliterated. Seems like overkill.

"What _would_ it do?" Magnus asks, turning to Merle.

"Hell if I know, I'm no ghost expert. I don't even know if it'd do anything."

Taako flaps a hand to regain their attention. "Either way, it's not worth it. I can deal with this by myself, Taako's a big boy." He fiddles with a stirrer and starts chewing on it absently. It tastes better than the sandwich. "'Sides, I can see where he's comin' from. Far as he's concerned, I'm just some rando who shacked up in his house. I mean, I'd be pissed off if someone pulled that on me. Wouldn't be dense enough to not realise I was fuckin'  _dead_ , but," he shrugs, leaning back in his seat.

Magnus eyes him curiously. "That's unusually understanding of you."

Taako just shrugs again, pouring another packet of sugar into his coffee. It's kind of disgusting at this point, but also the only thing really keeping him awake after Kravitz had spent most of the night flicking the lights in his room on and off from some unknown location. Unable to really do anything without knowing exactly where he was, Taako had eventually resorted to just unscrewing the bulbs from their fittings. It was annoying how fast Kravitz had gotten wise to the gap in his armoury and started taking advantage of it, but still, "Guy's dead, seems kinda cruel to hold much against him. An' I don't think he's that bad, underneath all the bullshit."

There's a moment of silence while Magnus continues to squint at him. "He's cute, isn't he."

Staring pointedly into the middle distance, Taako takes a long, slow drink. "Nothing to do with anything, whether he is or not."

"Oh, he is! You've got a crush on your ghost!"

"Absolutely _not,_ " Taako snaps, sitting forward again and brandishing the half-chewed stirrer at him. "Sure, he's not bad to look at, but that personality is _garbo_ , homes. I don't fuck with territorial assholes."

"But you don't want Merle to get rid of him."

Taako makes an aggravated growl and glares into his cup. "Listen, my house, my business, I'm gonna deal with this my way."

"Hmm," Magnus hums doubtfully.

"Jeez, Mags, how low do you think my standards are? What point would there be in that, anyway? Not like I can bone down on a ghost, right? Fuckin' pointless."

Magnus stirs his drink and raises his eyebrows. "So you've thought about it."

"No! Fuck, what is with you and trying to set me up with garbage people?"

Frowning, Magnus gives him a look vaguely reminiscent of a kicked puppy. A very, very big kicked puppy, but a puppy nonetheless. "Sazed was an outlier, and I apologised for that. I just want you to be happy like me 'n' Jules are," he shrugs, fiddling with the ring on his left hand.

Taako rolls his eyes. Sometimes having friends that some might consider good people is tiring. Especially when they try to get involved in his personal life. Not that this _is_ part of his personal life in any fucking way, but obviously Magnus thinks so. Clearly he's confusing physical attraction (if it can even count as physical with a fucking _incorporeal being_ ) with Taako actually liking the guy in literally any other way. Which he doesn't.

"You want me to settle down with a _ghost_? That's some fucked up well-wishing, my dude."

Merle just nods into his tea knowingly. "I think you got the right idea, tyin' yourself down never works out."

"Oh, you do not get to give me relationship advice, old man. Not with your track record. Why - how did we even get onto this?" Taako whines, resting his forehead on the table.

"I'm just sayin', relationships are more trouble than they're worth, you should keep it light 'n' breezy, not worth the hassle," Merle says, still nodding sagely like he isn't just a jaded old man.

"Fucking _enough_!" Taako groans, irritated. He downs the remainder of his drink and stands from the table. "Listen, there's a ghost in my house, I do _not_ have a goddamn _crush_ on said ghost, I'm gonna deal with this myself, and you jokers need to keep your distance until I do unless you want him to break all your shit as well. Now I'm gonna get back before he thinks he's _won_ or something."

Magnus seems unimpressed by his speech. "Walking? I drove you here, remember? Also, half your kitchen is in the back of my car."

Well that puts a damper on his dramatic exit. He reluctantly sits back down and starts chewing on the stirrer again. "Fine, guess I'm waiting. You can drive me back, but you're not coming in."

The ride back is ten different kinds of agonising, not least because Merle keeps winking at him and Magnus keeps giving him a _look_. Taako stares stoically out of the window at the heavy grey clouds growing heavier as the day goes on, ignoring both of them. Why does he even keep these guys around, anyway? 

 _Because they're your friends and you like them_ , a rogue part of his brain supplies. He beats the thought off with a mental shovel and puts it six feet under, marking the spot with a headstone that reads _free rides and free coffee._

He's out of the car almost before the wheels have stopped turning and extracting his belongings from the trunk.

"Cool, thanks for the ride and the chow, fun little chat sesh, now if you'll excuse me I have an angry spirit to mess with."

Magnus leans across the passenger seat to call out the window, "You don't need me to pick the lock for ya?"

Taako reaches into his pocket and pulls out his keys, waving them above his head as he strides towards the house without looking back. "I don't go near the door without these, my friend. Ghost boy's predictable as shit. I told you I can handle him."

"Mm-hm - _handle_ ," Merle shouts after him.

"Holyfuckshut _up!_ "

-

Taako gets back into the kitchen to start returning his things to the cupboards with little trouble, having stayed quiet on his way through the door and seeming to be successful in not letting Kravitz hear that he's back. He still can't see the spray bottle anywhere, which leads him to believe that Kravitz has somehow hidden it, but he can always just resort to simply throwing handfuls of salt at him, probably. It's not too much of a loss. He does mourn a few incurably dented pans and bent pieces of cutlery, but at least for all of Kravitz's throwing shit around the room none of it had hit him.

In fact, now that he thinks about it, it's actually been a few days since Kravitz really tried to hurt him in any way, the only casualties in recent encounters being his belongings. There was a period at the beginning of the week where he'd take any opportunity to try to slam Taako's fingers in a door or send him sprawling to the ground, but the last couple of days it's felt more like he's just pulling pranks. Like the carefully infuriating way he'd made sure Taako had seen him waiting by the open window with the first spoon in his hand before casually tossing it over his shoulder and starting on the rest.

Or like taking Taako's phone from the counter while he's busy putting everything back in its place and forcing him to follow him in a low-speed chase around the living room with his hand held high in the air to get it back, just an inch or two out of Taako's reach as he swipes at it.

"Doesn't feel very nice to have someone take something of yours, does it?" he taunts, passing the phone to his other hand as Taako tries to pull his arm down by his sleeve.

"I'm not trying to -" Taako jumps and grabs, again, to no avail, " - to _take_ anything I didn't earn!"

"You didn't earn this house. I did. You decided you were entitled to it."

"Well let's just agree to disagree, Casper," Taako retorts, then growls in frustration as he misses again. Fucking tall ass ghost and his long ass arms. "Actually, no, I'm gonna go get the deed for this place tomorrow and make you eat the goddamn thing."

"And what would that accomplish?" Kravitz asks, sounding some degree of amused.

"It'd make you taste my fuckin' name on it, you - ugh! Fine! Keep it!" Taako cries, stopping and throwing up his arms in defeat, a little out of breath and not willing to embarrass himself with this stupid circus act any further.

"You're giving up? How disappointing," Kravitz says, inspecting the nails of his free hand while the other one remains held in the air.

Aiming for an air of indifference that he's pretty sure he doesn't quite pull off, Taako takes a second to steady his breathing. "Taako doesn't pick fights he can't win, homes."

He finds himself levelled with a cool gaze. "And yet you're still here."

"Listen, I'm just waiting for you to figure out I'm right, and then we'll see-" He suddenly lunges for the phone, but Kravitz is too fast, and he only ends up throwing himself upside-down onto the sofa. He lies there for a second, panting as Kravitz lowers his arm with a triumphant smirk. Guy looks like he's actually enjoying this, which is supposed to be Taako's job. It's no fun when he's the one being messed with.

He rolls over to lie on his stomach, draping an arm off the side of the cushion. "Can I ask you something?"

Kravitz turns the phone over in his hands, shaking it a little and watching the glitter dance in the liquid-filled case. "Sure, why not."

"Is this like, fun for you? You don't seem so hot on kicking me out as you did before. Don't tell me I'm growing on you," Taako says, smiling demurely and fluttering his eyelashes.

"No," Kravitz says absently as he continues to inspect the device, pushing the button on the front and blinking in surprise when the screen lights up. Taako's lock screen is a gloriously overwrought painting of a unicorn with two horns (so, binicorn) and a flowing rainbow mane, so fuck knows what Kravitz makes of that. Something like mild distaste, going by his face. "You're still a trespasser. But I gave you a week, so you get a week."

"So you're not enjoying this at all?"

Kravitz seems to consider that for a second, putting his study of the phone on hold and looking over at him. "I suppose it is kind of entertaining. You're more tenacious than any others that've taken up here. More talkative, too."

"How many people _have_ you kicked out of here?"

He tilts his head a little. "...A lot."

"Don't you think it's weird, the amount of people that try to shack up here? Nothing about that strikes you as strange?"

Kravitz frowns slightly, though it's more mildly offended than angry. "It's a nice house. Why wouldn't anyone want to live in it?" He scratches at his temple, and Taako finds himself wondering if ghosts can even itch or if it's just a reflex. "I worked hard for this place."

"Doing what?" Taako asks, genuinely curious despite himself.

"It was... let's see, what was it?" Kravitz says, tapping a fingertip to his mouth and lifting his eyes towards the ceiling. Then he snaps his fingers in mock revelation and points at him. "Ah! None of your business."

Taako's curiosity flatlines, becoming irritation again. "Hmph. Cagey, much?"

"The point is," Kravitz says, shaking the phone at him and raising an eyebrow, "you don't have the right to claim what's mine."

"Right, sure. You know that makes you sound like Scrooge, right?"

"Ebenezer Scrooge had enough wealth for several people besides himself, I-" Kravitz cuts himself off, looking away and scratching at his face again before continuing more quietly. "I don't have anything else. Just this house."

That... actually has Taako feeling kind of shitty. He can't imagine what it must be like to be stuck alone in one place for a century.

Except, the alone part is pretty much Kravitz's own fault, he reflects, so actually there's not much to feel bad about here.

"Well, you coulda had a friend if you hadn't been such a ginormous dick about everything," he says, sitting up and trying to fight his hair back into some semblance of order.

Gaze unwavering, Kravitz gives him a searching look edged with suspicion and a wary curiosity. It's a long moment before he responds. "No-one breaks into a house to make friends."

"I mean, it wasn't what I was going for, but I've got experience in making the best of shitty situations." Taako gives up on his hair and gives Kravitz a bored look instead. "Aside from the fact that I didn't fucking break in, my guy, you've seen my goddamn keys. How many times are we gonna go through this, huh?"

Kravitz opens his mouth to say something acerbic, going by the look on his face, but then the phone in his hand starts to vibrate with an incoming call, and he starts and drops it to the floor in surprise. 

"Hey! Fucking be careful, that shit's expensive!" Taako berates, darting to snatch it up before Kravitz recovers and starts another game of keepaway. But even after he retreats several steps back with his reappropiated goods, Kravitz is just staring.

"Why's it doing that?"

"It's ringing, moron, it's a goddamn phone. My sister's calling me" Taako says as he shakes his head in exasperation and picks up the call.

"'Sup, Lulu."

" _Howsit goin', baby bro?_ " Lup chirps brightly, tinny over the speaker. " _Your ghost boy still giving you trouble? When can I come over again? I wanna meet him before you finally break the guy._ "

"Y'know, he's right here, actually, you wanna talk to him?" Taako asks, watching the frankly incredible journey that Kravitz's face is going on.

" _Hell yeah, get me in on that action._ "

He puts the phone onto loudspeaker and holds it out. "Say hi, sis."

" _'Sup, dude? You playin' nice with my brother_?"

Kravitz just looks at the phone, seemingly dumbfounded.

" _Hello? You shy or somethin'_?"

Carefully, he leans in slightly, eyes never leaving the screen. "...Hello?"

Lup hums over the line, and he watches with rapt attention. " _Well uh, gotta say I just got static there, but I'm gonna assume that was him. So, Casper, what's it like bein' de-_ "

Taako hurriedly hangs up before she can finish. Gotta remember to tell her not to mention the ghost thing. Kravitz silently watches him slide the phone into his pocket.

"I'll call her back. Private conversation," he smiles innocently. Kravitz doesn't respond, still looking at where Taako had stashed his phone. He has a strange look on his face. "Hey, you good there, Casper?"

Kravitz lifts his gaze from Taako's pocket to his eyes. "You weren't lying. It is a telephone."

"Yuh-huh, I haven't lied to you since I got here, would've thought you'da figured that out by now," Taako says. Then he makes a small noise of uncertainty, feeling like he should probably loosen that statement a little. "Well, haven't lied much."

That same wary consideration from before is written across Kravitz's face. "But you have lied."

"Only about stuff I knew would rile you up. I'm not some kinda demon here to cause you shit, my man, I'm just tryna live."

Kravitz narrows his eyes. "Seems like it would be easier to _live_ elsewhere. Why here? And don't lie."

"'Kay, fine, promise I won't lie to you again, on my life," Taako drawls, giving a spirited eyeroll and crossing his heart dramatically. Then he thinks about that question for a second, finding that he actually doesn't really know the answer. He settles on the closest response he has. "It probably would be easier to find another place, yeah. But I don't feel like it."

"You don't _feel_ _like it_?" Kravitz grinds out, looking like he's fighting not to yell.

Taako nods, as much a confirmation to himself as it is a response. "Nope. I could, but I don't think I want to."

Kravitz's fists clench and unclench. "Why... the hell... not? Is this house such a conquest for you?"

Taako takes a second to think about that question, too. "Nah, I don't really give a shit about the house."

Jaw tense, Kravitz takes a deep breath, then clasps his hands in front of his face, thumbs pressed against his lips, and exhales carefully. "Then,  _why_? What _possible_ reason do you have to still be here?"

"...Guess I just like messin' with you," Taako shrugs.

Kravitz just opens and closes his mouth for a few seconds, staring at him. Then he finally snaps. " _That's_ your reason?! You  _just said_ you weren't just here to bother me!" he shouts, anger boiling over and sending a shudder through the room that rattles even the heaviest objects.

Bristling, Taako finds himself shouting back. So maybe he doesn't actually have a real reason, but like hell he's gonna give Kravitz some kind of moral advantage because of it. "I'm _botherin'_  you 'cause you're actin' like a dick all the time!"

"With good cause! You broke into my house!"

"For the last fuckin' time, I didn't break in! I have a fuckin' key because I bought the place! Where's your key, huh?" Taako goads, tilting his head with a barbed smile. "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Grumbling irritably, Kravitz's hand goes to his pocket, and his expression suddenly shifts to surprise. Confusion creasing his face, he checks seemingly every other pocket he has before giving up, looking around at the floor like he might have dropped something.

Taako's smirk widens a little in victory. "You don't have one, do you?"

He's hit with a glower that doesn't even give him pause, he's far too used to it by now, and to the lights blinking in and out. "You must've taken it while I wasn't paying attention."

"And when did I do that, huh? Sneak up on you while you were sleepin'?"

Kravitz stiffens, clenching his teeth and then snarling, "I don't know! But I did have a key, and now I don't, and you do and you shouldn't!"

"Or maybe I've been tellin' the truth, huh? That so hard to believe? When're you gonna stop bein' so goddamn righteous and fuckin' listen to me, get that stick outta your fuckin' ass?" Taako bites. Kravitz looks like he's reaching that point where he has to leave and take a breather, face tight and sharp with frustration, which means Taako's just about won this fight. There's not even anything broken yet this time around, which is an added and unexpected bonus.

That is, until all the furniture in the room lifts an inch or two into the air and drops again with a slam that vibrates through the floor and up Taako's legs into his chest, making his teeth clap together as he narrowly avoids biting his tongue. Something topples off a cabinet behind him, but he ignores it in favour of staring Kravitz down as he takes a deep breath and lets it out again, seemingly trying to keep his composure.

"What, you're not gonna pick me up as well? Take me for a little ride?" Taako teases, knowing that he's pushing his luck but also feeling somewhat invincible at being the only thing untouched in the room and wondering how far he can go without Kravitz breaking his apparent resolution not to hurt him. Kravitz has his eyes closed and the heels of his hands pressed into the sockets, head tipped back and shoulders tense.

"You are," he groans, "insufferable."

"Or maybe you're just easy to piss off, homes."

Dropping his hands and glaring at him with a tired resentment that both simmers and freezes like liquid nitrogen, Kravitz points a finger and growls, "Twenty-four hours." And then he vanishes, exactly as expected.

Once he's gone, Taako picks up his phone and redials the last number. "Hey, Lulu? You and Barold wanna come for candlenights dinner tomorrow?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next chapter is getting down to brass tacks, and then there's some nicer stuff :) Hopefully I'll manage to get them up a bit faster, but also I am Me and I am Busy as all hell soooo
> 
> Once again, thank you for all the lovely comments on the previous chapter! They really keep me going and I'm so glad people are enjoying this!
> 
> Edit 23/12/17: The new chapter is coming and I'm getting there with it, this fic is by no means abandoned even though I know it's been over two weeks since I updated (oh heck it has been that long huh), I've been dividing my time between uni work and my vampire fic and god so much stuff to do someone help. In any case the next chapter is also one I really really want to get right, so please be patient with me while I get it nailed down! I'm trying to get it done sometime soon, hopefully before new year to keep this candlenights theme going


	6. Deadline

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All you had to say was that you stayed for the company.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey so! I know this took a while, I just really wanted to get this scene right. It gets a little serious, and I was debating whether to wait until after new year to post it, but y'know, this is the turning point so it seems appropriate!

 

Taako organises his housewarming dinner for the promised night - a full turkey spread, his aunt's recipe. What better way to make it clear that he has no intention of leaving than a meal that takes the better part of a day to prepare and over an hour to eat? It's the perfect choice to make a point.

And, when all's said and done, it's almost Candlenights and his aunt's turkey is fucking delicious.

Lup barges past him into the house when she and Barry arrive with an enormous turkey in her arms and an equally enormous grin on her face, and winks as she heads straight through into the kitchen. Taako hopes that means she's kept her promise not to clue Barry in on the ghost situation until absolutely necessary, because like hell he's sitting through that nerd chattering on about ectoplasm and electromagnetic waves all day.

But he's glad they're both here. Not seeing Lup every day has been harder than he expected, even though he's (mostly) happy she and Barry are doing so well. It's nice to be able to spend more than just stolen time with her.

And - and this is something he'd deny under any kind of torture inflicted on him - it's honestly getting kinda scary how powerful a spirit his resident ghost actually is, and having some other people there is some kind of reassurance. If he can't outmatch, he can at least outnumber. He'd been tempted to get Magnus and Merle in on the party, too, but the thought of having to endure the death of a thousand pointed looks he'd inevitably be subjected to put an end to that idea. And anyway, after last night, he's pretty sure he's at least safe from physical harm. Hopefully.

He does expect some kind of resistance to his inviting more people into the house, or the fact that he's pointedly ignoring the stated deadline, but Kravitz doesn't make an appearance all day even to so much as offer a barbed comment. It's eerily quiet, and Taako can't help but think that this must be the calm before the proverbial storm. A storm he's gonna weather the fuck out of, no doubt about that, but still. The guy's been on his back practically twenty-four seven, it's weird _not_ having him riding his ass all the time.

Not like that. Bad choice of words.

"So, when's your friend gonna show his face, huh?" Lup asks with her hands covered in five kinds of seasoning as she wipes them on one of Taako's good aprons. She catches his irritated look, rolls her eyes and blows him a kiss, then goes to wash the rest off in the sink. "I wanna see if he's as handsome as you said he is."

"I don't know what goes on in that asshole's head, Lulu, come on. He said twenty-four hours last night, so this evening, probably. Maybe he'll join us for dinner," Taako snorts, wiping his hands on Barry's shirt like a civilised person.

"Friend?" Barry asks curiously, picking up a turkey baster which Taako immediately smacks out of his hand. "You got a boyfriend?"

Taako barks a derisive laugh. "Fuck no, he's not my boyfriend. Or my friend, either. He's just some asshole I'm stuck with," he says, and maybe he imagines the room get just a single degree colder.

"And you invited him to dinner?" Barry frowns, going for yet another utensil that Taako absolutely did not give him permission to use. This time Lup is the one who gives him a light slap on the wrist before kissing his cheek in apology. Gross. Taako turns away before he can damage his eyes any further.

"Like fuck I invited him, I can't stand the guy."

"I dunno, 'Ko, Mags seemed to think you had somethin' goin' on there," Lup says with a smirk, leaning over his shoulder and wiggling her eyebrows.

Taako groans loud enough for it to be heard through most of the house. "Oh for fuck's sake, not you too."

"I mean, maybe he has a point, you called him hot at least three separate times the other day," Lup teases, and he smacks her in the arm with an oven mitt.

"People can be hot and also fucking awful, Lulu, I have better taste than that. Stop undermining my authority, anyway, what if he hears you, huh?"

"How would he hear you if he's not shown up yet?" Barry asks, having somehow obtained a pair of tongs, and Taako makes a frustrated noise and snatches them out of his hand.

"Will you keep your mitts off my shit, Bluejeans? And your nose outta my business while you're at it?"

"Okay, fine, jeez," Barry grumbles. Then he gives him a curious look and narrows his eyes. "This wouldn't have anything to do with why you texted me the other day, would it?"

Taako brandishes the tongs at him. "Business! Your own, Barold! Mind it!"

"But-"

"You remember when I said you owe me, loverboy?" Taako growls with a warning glare, and Barry clams up immediately, cheeks threatening to flush beet red. Lup giggles and bops him on the nose with a flour-coated finger.

"I won't ask, hon, but I'm guessin' he's got something good on you, huh?"

Taako drapes an arm around Barry's shoulder and pats his cheek. "Uh-huh, real juicy story, I'll tell you about it next time he crosses me - it's a good one, isn't it, Barold?"

"Please don't-"

"That's perfect. You know I'm looking forward to it, babe, make sure you piss my brother off sooner rather than later."

Barry turns outright crimson and makes an uncomfortable noise that's probably his attempt at a protest. Poor guy, the two of them haven't gone more than a week without ribbing him about something since high school. But he knows this is just how they show affection. Probably.

"Don't worry, hon, you'll find out all about Taako's mystery man real soon,' Lup smirks, unbelievably smug as she gives both of them a pinch on the cheek. Taako glares at her and considers whether or not it's too late to declare himself an only child.

There are a couple more minutes of steady work and much-needed catching up, and then there's a knock at the door. Taako frowns and leaves Lup and Barry to continue prepping - and thank fuck Lup is included in that pair, because he wouldn't trust Barry J. Bluejeans to grate cheese by himself - as he goes to answer the door to a very small and very excited-looking boy.

Unseen, the kitchen door pauses very slightly in its route as it swings shut behind him.

"Hello, sir! I came to ask for my Caleb Cleveland book back, but then I saw Miss Lup's car out front, and you're wearing an apron! Are you having a Candlenights meal?" Angus chirps incredibly brightly as he opens the door, bouncing on the balls of his feet like he's imitating a pogo stick. Even Taako can admit that's adorable as fuck. He's kind of tempted to tell the kid to join them, he's so infectiously excited. But the timing isn't exactly convenient.

He glances behind himself into the house, feeling strangely watched. Perhaps unsurprisingly, there's nothing there, and he turns back to Angus. "Yeah, uh, something like that."

"Does that mean you've settled things with Mister Kravitz? Has he come to terms with his situation yet?" Angus asks, settling down a little. Less kid-on-Candlenights and more detective-on-a-case.

Taako scoffs a laugh. "I'm pretty sure he hasn't. Seemed pretty set on kickin' me out today, in fact."

Angus looks mortally offended, and more than a little hurt. "And you didn't _tell_ me?" he whines, staring up at him. "But it's my case! I wanna help, this is a supernatural mystery!"

"There's no mystery here, kid, he's just a stubborn asshole," Taako says, waving a hand dismissively. "You'd better go home before things get messy in here."

Angus' big brown eyes turn round and pleading in a way which is most definitely calculated, but somehow knowing that doesn't make it less effective. Damn this kid. "Please let me stay! I want to see what happens, you have to let me see how the case resolves, I helped before!" he begs, shamelessly abusing the puppy-dog eyes.

Taako wavers. He'd wanted to keep Angus away from this. Not because of any kind of protective instinct or anything, obviously - kid's just nosy and it's none of his business. But having him there might stop Kravitz flying off the handle. And Angus can handle himself if push comes to shove. Taako saw the kid knock a lost frisbee out of a thirty-foot tree with a slingshot once. Only took him two tries.

He waves the boy inside. "Sure, fine. Just don't say I didn't warn you, yeah? And make sure Luc knows where you are, I refuse to get yelled at again," he sniffs, and Angus slams into his side to give him the longest hug Taako will allow (a very, very short one) before bounding off into the kitchen. A cold breeze follows behind them as they go.

The meal comes together perfectly, as is to be expected when you've got the wonder twins working on it, even despite the additional 'help'. The food is spread across the table on a myriad of plates, and it smells goddamn amazing. Looks amazing, too, Taako thinks with smug satisfaction. Whatever senses Kravitz has, he's gonna have to be impressed.

Not impressed. Jealous, he meant. Jealous.

"Your ' _friend_ ' not joining us then?" Barry asks shortly after they've sat down and Taako has made sure Angus definitely has enough vegetables. Kid's goddamn tiny, he needs all the help he can get. Lup gives him a questioning look, asking permission.

Taako sighs and starts loading up his own plate. "Fuck, fine. He's probably gonna turn up in about -" he checks the time on his phone - "soon, anyway, so might as well get this over with. Yes, Barold, this is why I asked you about the salt water, now do your best to contain your shit."

Far from containing his shit, Barry is practically bouncing in his seat. "I knew it, I knew there was a reason this place was so cheap. This is amazing - how many are there? What are they like? Is it cold spots? Electronic interference?"

Taako pulls a face. "Just the one, I fuckin' hope. And he's a dick. Throws shit all over the place and likes to shout."

Barry blinks at him for a second, his eyes wide as the dinner plates in front of them. "Taako, that's powerful. That's, that's a dangerous amount of power."

Waving a hand, Taako uses the other to spear some cauliflower on his fork. "Eh. He said he didn't kill people. Guess that makes sense, seeing as they'd probably end up stuck here, too."

"Well, not nece-" Barry starts, then his eyes get even wider, which hadn't seemed possible, but there it is. "Wait, he said? You've made contact with him? You've _seen_ him?"

"Yeah. Like I said, kind of a dick."

"And Taako thinks he's hot," Lup chirps, and earns herself a kick under the table. Barry doesn't seem to notice.

"Taako, a ghost that can physically manifest itself is-"

Taako quickly waves a hand in front of his throat in a ' _cut it out_ ' motion. "Yeah, we're actually, we're avoiding the g-word, he gets kinda touchy about it."

Barry leans further across the table. "Listen, I'm serious, you shouldn't be messing with-"

The clock in the hall sounds out the hour. The lights flicker.

"It's bad manners to talk about people behind their backs."

Taako groans. Dramatic asshole. "Well, now you've fuckin' done it."

Kravitz is standing at the head of the table with his arms folded, watching him cooly. "He didn't do anything, actually. I gave you one week, it's been one week, and you're still here."

Lup cups her hand over her mouth and leans over the table to speak in a stage whisper. "Hey, you weren't kidding about the accent, huh?" she asks, shooting Kravitz a furtive glance. Or at least, the kind of furtive you go for when you absolutely want the person you're glancing at to see.

"I - I _can_ hear you," Kravitz says, frowning at her, and then turns his attention back to Taako. "Are all of your family this rude?"

"If you can hear me, maybe you should talk to me instead of him, huh? You aren't even gonna say hello?" Lup asks, a hand to her chest in mock-offense. Barry looks like he might explode right then and there, staring wide-eyed and holding Lup's arm in a death grip, while Angus seems content to just observe.

"Oh, excuse me, please let me introduce myself to every person trespassing in my house, that's definitely my priority here," Kravitz says, voice flat with dry sarcasm. 

Lup smirks and leans her head on her hand. "Taako, I like this guy, he's funny."

Kravitz gives her a one-part confused, one-part irritated look. "Forgive me if your opinion doesn't mean very much to me," he says in a bored monotone before turning back to Taako. "Anyway, look, this doesn't have to be difficult. I really would rather not get physical here, but I've asked nicely, several times - in fact, I've been more patient than I think you deserve - and I think it's time you stopped messing around and got the fuck out of my house." He pauses for a second, and fixes Taako with one of those intense stares that bores straight into him. "Unless you can give me a good reason why you need to be here past _feeling like it_."

"But we just started eating," Lup pouts.

"What the hell is wrong with the lot of you? I don't _care_!" Kravitz snaps, and the lights start to flicker briefly again before he breathes a sigh and massages the skin under his eyes. "Of course you're as bad as he is, of course."

Lup folds her arms and leans back in her seat. "I take offense at that, I'm clearly worse. Prank Queen of high school, thank you _very_ much."

"According to you," Taako huffs. "And you were stealing my ideas half the time!"

"I think you mean I thought of 'em first and you claimed them as your own afterwards."

"The only ones you did by yourself were the ones where you set shit on fire, I had all the finesse, Lulu."

"I never made the teachers cry."

"Which I think makes me the champion, don't you?"

"Nah, just more of an asshole."

"Oh come on, that ham and cheese fuck totally had it coming."

"Hmm," Lup hums doubtfully, before glancing down at her arm, seeming to realise that she can feel it again. She turns to frown at her boyfriend. "Barry, babe, not at the table, come on."

Barry is muttering to himself and scribbling furiously into a notebook. At some point in the last two minutes he's pulled out a small box and has set it on the table with the top face pointing at Kravitz, who's just kind of blinking at him in confusion with his mouth slightly open while Barry occasionally fiddles with one of the dials on the front. Taako finds himself caught between wanting to clap his sister's boyfriend on the back and wanting to shove him into a locker.

"Holy shit, Barold, do you take that everywhere?"

"It's portable, that's what it's for," Barry says absently, then grabs the box and holds it out as if Taako could make any fucking sense of what's going on with the display. "And look at this! It's showing barely any electromagnetic interference, except for when the lights flicker, and then it spikes - I've never heard of a spirit having this much control! I mean, I've read about physical manifestations before, but never anything at this level, you'd almost think he was real if not for-"

"What in the fuck are you talkin' about?" Kravitz says, seeming to have recovered enough from his exposure to to the group's whole kind of demeanour to use his words. People are usually a little bewildered by them, Taako knows he alone has enough of a presence in a room without adding Lup to the mix, and Barry can be absolutely inscrutable when he wants to be. It's the perfect storm to mess with someone like Kravitz. "I'm fairly certain I'm _real_ , unless you think you're talking to thin air."

"Mister Bluejeans, sir, you shouldn't mention that stuff around him, it'll only make him upset," Angus whispers across the table.

"Ango, Angles, honey, don't call him Mister Bluejeans, for the love of fuck," Lup grimaces. "It's bad enough having to acknowledge I'm dating someone with a name that stupid without you making it _formal_." 

Barry looks slightly offended by that, but ignores it in favour of quietly replying to Angus. "Why would it make him upset? I mean it, it's really impressive."

"Will you - will you stop talkin' about me like I'm not standin' right _-"_

"He's sensitive, babe, you gotta be careful what you say," Lup coos, leaning over to pat Barry's thigh.

"But it's a compliment."

"Would you think it was a compliment if someone told _you_ you looked real, hon?"

"Well, no, but I _am_ real."

"I'm - I'm literally right here, this is very childish-"

Lup continues to pointedly ignore Kravitz's increasingly strident protests and maintains her playful argument with Barry. Taako goes back to his food, smirking to himself. This had been a good plan. Lup is a goddamn genius. He knew she would be in on the best way to get in this guy's head almost immediately. 

"I'm just saying, this is like, one of the most complex things he could be doing, you're taking raw energy and making it bend to your will, it's like-"

"You gotta consider how it sounds though, babe - _hey, you're doin' real good at existing!_ \- see? Kinda patronising."

"But it's not just _existing_ , it's-"

"Will you all stop _fucking about_?!" Kravitz yells suddenly, and Lup almost falls out of her seat the furniture in the room shakes so hard. Taako quickly looks back over at Kravitz, who's fixing him with a steady glower. "D'you 'ave a fuckin' reason or not? I'm givin' you one last go at this before I resolve matters myself."

Trying to mask the tremor in his voice, Taako titters and waves his fork in Kravitz's direction. "Your accent's goin' again, bubeleh. Maybe you should cool off a little."

"Stop! Changing! The subject!" Kravitz shouts, fists clenched at his side and eyes squeezed shut. The windows start to rattle. Breathing a sigh, he looks back over at Taako with something like disappointment on his face. "Listen, I've enjoyed the fun and games, it's been very entertaining, but playtime is over. You clearly have no reason to be here. You're leaving. Now."

Taako folds his arms across his chest and crosses his legs. "Nope, I'm not."

"Yes, you are!" Kravitz bites, starting to lose his cool again. Taako's expression hardens, and he stands from his seat.

"No! Who the fuck do you think you are? You can't kick me out of my own house!"

"Will you just give over with that!? It's not yours!"

The plates begin to clatter and cutlery falls to the floor as the table starts to shake violently. The picture frames on the wall fall from their hooks and spill broken glass onto the floor, all the doors slam shut, ice covers the windows and frost starts to creep onto every surface. Taako's breath fogs almost as soon as it hits the air, but he refuses to let himself shiver, enough is fucking enough. Clearly there's only one way to get through to this guy.

"You keep fucking saying that, and you're wrong! Don't you fucking get it yet?"

"Get what? That you're incapable of leavin' well enough alone?" Kravitz growls, a challenge in his voice.

"No, that you're goddamn-"

"Taako," Angus warns shakily, tugging at his sleeve. Taako shakes him off.

"Nuh-uh, sorry Ango, I'm done with this - band-aid's comin' off." He pushes the kid behind him and spins back around to stare Kravitz down. "Game's over, asshole. You're fucking dead! You died and you're a ghost, and I cannot fucking understand how you haven't figured it out yet!"

A spark of fear colours the firey anger in Kravitz's eyes. "That-"

Taako slams a hand on the table. "No, shut the fuck up and listen!" he shouts, and Kravitz jerks back slightly, blinking at him in mute surprise. "Did you think it was normal, all this shit you've been doing? Breaking my lights and freezing my plants and the fact you can't leave this fucking house? You don't sleep, you don't eat, I'm pretty sure you don't even need to breathe, so wake the fuck up! How long are you gonna keep pretending you still belong here, huh? You've lived your life, it ended, so why don't you fucking move on, stop making shit so difficult for everyone else, and get out of my fuckin' face?"

The encompassing noise gets quieter and quieter as he goes on, and has completely stopped by the time his rant is over, leaving the room in a heavy, frozen silence as the temperature continues to drop. Kravitz stares at him, body starting to blink and stutter like a figure from an old film on a faulty projector, like he can't quite hold himself together.

"You promised you wouldn't lie," he says quietly.

"And I'm fucking not, you can't see that shit?" Taako snaps, pointing at Kravitz's flickering hands. "You're the one who's lying to yourself, my dude. You're not stupid, so why don't you take a good long think about it and ask yourself which of us is telling the truth."

Silent, Kravitz keeps staring. The shaking starts again, louder, more violent than before, and Taako and his guests throw themselves to the ground as the table's contents start flying into the air, smashing against the walls and ceiling and raining food and broken pieces of china onto their heads, joined by shards of glass as the lights flare brightly and explode in showers of white sparks. The air turns so cold Taako can't breathe, he clenches his eyes shut because it feels like they're freezing over, tries to stop himself from shaking uncontrollably and hooks a protective arm around Angus as he feels him burrow into his side - he should never have agreed to let him stay - and then with a frustrated shout, it all stops.

There's the quiet tinkle of objects settling in the silence, and then a soft thud as Kravitz collapses into a sitting position on the floor, body half-visible one second and gone the next, rippling like agitated water. Carefully, Taako lifts his head from under his arm to look over at him.

"Are you done? Wanna break any more of my shit, maybe flip the table over while you're at it?"

"Just stop," Kravitz says, barely audible. He has his forearms draped over his knees and is watching his hands flicker in and out with dispassionate eyes. "Please. I think you've said enough."

Taako gives him a hard stare. "Have I?"

Kravitz's jaw is set in a tense line. "You've made your point. I'm just a nuisance you're stuck with and I don't belong here," he says quietly, expression tight. He closes his eyes for a brief moment before rising to his feet. "So if you'll excuse me," he mutters, and then, continuing to flicker like a candle all the while, he walks out of the room without another word, passing straight through the wood of the door without stopping or looking back.

Staring at the space where he'd been, Taako rubs Angus' trembling shoulders, the sound of food and china and glass falling to the floor reaching him from the other side of the table as Lup and Barry start to disentangle themselves. He'd only caught Kravitz's expression for a brief second as he'd turned away, but it had looked... hurt, somehow. Wounded. He's finally admitted defeat, Taako is pretty sure, but somehow he can't bring himself to feel good about it. He just feels like an asshole sitting in a pile of broken pieces.

Angus sniffs and pulls back from where he'd been pressed into his shirt, straightening his glasses. "Sorry. I made your shirt all wet."

"Hey, pumpkin, s'okay. C'mere," Taako soothes, pulling him back in and rubbing his arm. "My bad, little man. I shouldn't've let you stay."

Angus wipes his nose on a tiny handkerchief he pulls from his pocket. "It's okay, I kind of insisted. I-I did tell you not to push him, though, sir."

"Yeah, y'did. But I think he needed the push, Ango."

Angus sniffs again and gives a nod. "Yeah. It seemed to work."

"Just had to pry the delusion from his cold, dead hands, huh?" Taako says with a smirk, pushing Angus away enough to see his face and giving him a light shove to the arm. Angus looks at him like he can't decide whether to laugh or be horrified.

"That's mean. He seemed upset."

"I couldn't care less, kid, that was major jerk behaviour," Taako scoffs. "I'm not gonna be nice just because Casper's got his panties in a twist over bein' dead."

Lup finally appears over the surface of the table, dusting off her jacket. "Taako, babe?"

"Yeah?"

She looks up and grins. "That was pretty fuckin' metal."

Taako grins back and shoots her a finger-gun. "You know it. Just call me ghostbuster."

"Technically you didn't _bust_ anything, I think you just pissed him off," Barry grumbles as he checks his glasses over before putting them back on and rummaging around the floor for his notebook. "We could've _talked_ to him if you two hadn't been so keen on antagonising the guy. Do you know how many people can say they've talked to a ghost, Taako? Not many."

"Did he seem like he was here to _talk_ to you, Barold? Did you notice the three-course meal spread across the ceiling? Because I sure fuckin' did."

Barry doesn't reply, because he's now found his notebook and started flipping through pages to where he left off. Lup sighs a little and marches round to Taako and Angus' side of the table, crunching through the broken glass and ceramic covering the floor in her boots. Taako finds himself also wishing he was wearing some kind of sturdy footwear, because he's gonna have to navigate his way out of this mess at some point and socks just aren't gonna cut it. He's still busy being jealous of Lup's boots when they stop in front of him and she crouches down and clamps his face between her hands. He frowns at her and tries to lean back, but her grip remains solid.

"Lulu, what the fuck?"

"Koko, sweetie, you never said he was fuckin' dreamy, kinda big omission," she says, maintaining unfaltering eye contact. Taako rolls his eyes and does his best to avoid it, shoving at her face to get her to lay off the lie-detector treatment.

"Think my exact words were ' _smokin' hot ghost,_ ' fruit-loop."

Lup returns the eye roll, but releases his face. "Yeah, ' _hot_ ,' not ' _sweep-you-off-your-feet gorgeous_ ,' dummy. No wonder you didn't have us over before now!"

Taako makes a noise that sounds a little more like an indignant squawk than he would've liked. "The guy was throwin' shit round the room all the time!"

"Nuh-uh, you can't lie to me, hon. You didn't wanna share." Lup says, circling back around the table to start quietly checking Barry over. He smiles and leans over to kiss her cheek before going back to his notes. It's sweet as all hell. Fuck.

"Well, not like it matters now," Taako sniffs. "He's gotta move on now, right?"

"Maybe," Lup replies. "We'll see, huh?"

Taako picks some debris from his clothes and then starts to move onto Angus, who's taking advantage of the moment for a longer-than-usually-permitted hug, but Taako doesn't currently have the inclination to pry him off. "Yeah."

"I mean, if he does come back, you know you can call me and I'll come kick his ass, right?"

"So why didn't you do that this time?"

Lup flicks some hair out of her eyes. "You seemed like you were handling it."

"Lulu, if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were scared," Taako says, a smug grin starting to overtake his face.

"Was not! The boyfriend here just tackled me to the goddamn floor," Lup huffs, elbowing Barry, who's still scribbling into his notebook at a rate of pages a second, not listening at all. He looks up briefly before snapping the book shut and starting to scrounge around the floor again.

"Sweetheart, you might be willing to get yourself killed by an angry ghost, but I'm sure not gonna let that happen," he says. "Besides, it's easier to just let him tire himself out, there's only so much energy a spirit can exert at once before they start to get unstable." He finally finds what he's looking for, the small box he'd pulled out earlier, and turns it over, beaming. "I can't believe I can actually confirm that! If I can just get these readings off here, and-" His face drops as he starts smacking the box and shaking it, frowning. "Shit, it broke. Now I'm gonna have to make a new one. And there was so much good data, too."

Taako rolls his eyes so hard he takes the rest of his head along for the ride. "Lup, your boyfriend is a fucking nerd."

"He's passionate, Koko, don't be mean," Lup scolds. Taako raises an eyebrow at her, and she snorts. "But yeah, he's also a big fucking nerd. And I love it."

"I don't get it, but you do you, Lulu." Taako goes to stand up, but finds himself blocked by the surrounding wreckage and still pinned by a small wannabe detective. He shoots Lup a look. "You mind givin' me a hand getting outta this mess?"

"What do you want me to do, carry you?"

Taako holds out his arms. "Yup, sounds good, upsy-daisy, sister."

"Fuck off," she snorts. "I'll find a broom or somethin', just hang on a sec."

Taako takes the opportunity to unpeel Angus, with little resistance but a lot of disappointment. "Come on, squirt, you've more than used up your hug allowance for the next year."

Angus gives him a small smile that communicates just how little he believes that, then his brow furrows and he glances towards the door Kravitz left through. "Do you think he's okay?" he whispers, looking back at Taako with concern in his features. "I think you might have actually hurt his feelings."

Taako frowns slightly, unsure of how he would've managed to hurt the guy's feelings given he had literally been trying to forcibly evict him. It doesn't make sense - except he kinda feels like it might be true. Kravitz had looked kind of hurt when he'd left. But that doesn't mean Taako should _care_. He sighs in exasperation.

"Listen, to be honest, I don't give a shit about his feelings. Guy made you cry, only I get to do that." He reaches out to muss Angus' hair. "But he's gone, so let's just find somethin' else to eat and then you can kick all our asses at Trivial Pursuit, sound good?"

Whatever reservations Angus may have had evaporate almost completely at the mention of Trivial Pursuit. Let it never be said that Taako doesn't know how to offer a sweet-ass bribe. "Yeah, okay!"

Once they manage to excavate themselves from the debris, they order takeout to replace their lost dinner and move into the living room with their meal. It's no slow-roasted turkey, but it's something. And after they're done eating Lup starts swinging Angus around by his arms and making him shriek with laughter, something which inevitably ends with them having an impromptu dance party during which no-one dances well, but everyone has fun. Taako even breaks out a couple of his signature lip-sync routines, which always go down well. Afterwards, as expected, Angus wins Trivial Pursuit at least five times, with very little contest; the three adults might have their specialties, but the boy has them outclassed handily when it comes to general knowledge. Not that anyone really cares who wins. It feels just like Candlenights season with family should, bright and warm and full of laughter.

Except, the whole night, Taako thinks he catches a figure watching them from just out of sight - from an open doorway, the stair landing, often just a prickling feeling on the back of his neck with no eyes to cause it at all, none that he can see. It's hard to feel festive when there's a presence nearby that feels so lonely.

When he returns to the kitchen the next morning, all the mess is piled neatly in the centre of the table, and the shattered lights have been replaced. The room is spotless save for the odd patch of damage to the wallpaper - even the dishes he'd left in the sink have been washed and put away.

Taako isn't quite sure how to feel as he sweeps everything into a bag and throws it over his shoulder to take outside, where snow is forming a light dusting over the ground. He knows victory is his. And yet, he also knows an olive branch when he sees one.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I went through so many iterations of this scene before actually settling on one I liked, this was... delicate. But the rest of this is much happier, so I hope you all stick around for it! :)
> 
> Enjoy your new years if you're celebrating, and if not, have a good evening!


	7. Making Amends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Try to meet in the middle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the wait, I was in deadline hell but we're good now!

 

There's a few days of peace after that. Candlenights proper - which Taako spends at Lup and Barry's - comes and goes with no activity at all. Nothing throws itself around, his plants are left alone, the lights don't even flicker. The only indication that Kravitz is still around at all is the occasional patch of super-chilled air, or spate of muffled noises in a distant part of the house. That, and things put themselves away if he leaves them out, windows close themselves when it hits evening, the bath turns itself off before it can overflow when he forgets about it. 

It's more like what he might've thought, before, that living with a ghost would be like, but he finds he almost misses the antagonism. The quiet is kind of lonely.

The sensation of being quietly watched becomes a familiar one, and he wants to turn and shout and demand the guy stop sulking or licking his wounds or whatever the hell it is that he's doing, but any time he turns to face the feeling it stops immediately. He doesn't bother talking to empty air.

It's stupid, anyway, isn't this what he'd wanted? To have the run of the place without an angry spirit getting up in his business all the time? He'd said so, thought so, he'd basically told the guy to fuck off in no uncertain terms, but hadn't really considered what that would mean. How empty the house would feel. He calls Lup often, invites (actually _invites_ ) Angus to visit, extends a brusque open invitation to pretty much everyone, in fact. But they all have their own lives, and he realises pretty quickly that despite himself, he'd rather have an enemy in his house than no-one at all.

Maybe he'll get a cat, just for the sake of having someone to knock shit off his shelves.

-*-

He stirs in his sleep. There's something cold touching his face.

Frowning, he turns over. The chill snatches itself away with a gasp.

He opens his eyes and squints into the dark.

There's nothing there.

He shakes his head and returns to his dream.

-*-

Five days after the incident in the kitchen, Taako sighs and tugs his hair out of his braid, shutting the door quietly behind him in the oppressive silence of the house. He's used to it by now. But, taking his shoes off and padding down the hall towards the kitchen, he realises the house isn't silent at all. There's music coming from somewhere in the back. He sets down his bag and moves curiously towards the sound, puzzled. It's the sound of a piano, beautiful and masterfully played, and echoing through the halls to fill every inch of the house with melody.

The only room with a piano is the one tucked away at the back of the house where the sun streams in during the afternoon, bright even during the winter, and he approaches it cautiously, carefully easing open the door.

The hinges squeak, the music stops and the cover of the piano slams shut. Taako slowly pushes open the door the rest of the way and finds the room empty, a piece of yellowed sheet music fluttering gently to the floor.

"That was pretty. I liked it," he says to the vacant air, and turns to retrieve his things from where he'd left them by the entrance, pulling the door over behind him.

As he locks the front door and hooks the latch over, the song starts again, quiet and tentative but quickly regaining the life it had carried before. He smiles and takes his stuff through to the kitchen, and the music carries on for another half hour or so, song blending into song. The final one, he recognises as Clair de Lune.

-*-

The next day, he closes up early at work and heads home, ready for a long bath and some Netflix in bed. He's taken to leaving something on most of the time just for some noise, to make him feel like he's less alone in the house even though he knows for a fact that he isn't actually alone at all. It's something.

The door swings open silently as he enters - he'd finally gotten around to oiling all of them the day before, after his almost-encounter - and he slips off his shoes before stepping across the threshold to avoid tracking in muddy snow from outside. There's not much of it around, but it's enough to turn the ground to mush in places.

There's no music today, he notes with mild disappointment. But, not silent. There's an irregular tapping sound: tap tap tap, pause, another five, another pause, then four. Footsteps. Pacing, from the living room. He makes his way softly to the door, and waits just outside, listening. More pacing. A sigh, and then, "Ten minutes. It'll be fine." Then the pacing stops, and is replaced with a quiet shifting sound, and Taako very, very carefully pushes open the door, willing it not to give him away, feeling like any noise will shatter the moment again. He'll probably vanish the moment he tries to talk to him, but at least he'll have tried.

He creeps quietly into the room, where Kravitz is pulling books off the shelf, glancing at the covers, and replacing them restlessly.

"How are these even _organised_?" he mutters.

"They're not, it's freeform. Just pick one at random," Taako says, leaning back against the doorframe, and Kravitz jumps, the book in his hand thudding to the floor as he blinks out, but only for a second. He glances over at him, looking wary and irritated at the surface level, but underneath there's... something else.

"It's chaos," he says, bending to pick the book back up and return it to the shelf without looking at him. Taako watches carefully, doing his best to look uninvested. He hasn't vanished yet.

"It's fun, boychik. Though, uh, a lot of them might not make too much sense to you if they're more modern. Bet I can find you some high fantasy, might be more your speed."

Another book is slid off the shelf and then back again. "I don't know what that is."

"Y'know, magic, elves, dragons, swords. Guess that genre probably didn't exist back in the day, huh?"

Kravitz crouches and starts scanning the lower shelves instead. "Doesn't sound familiar."

Taako watches him continue to occupy himself with the books for a minute before getting bored and asking, "What are you even looking for?"

"Just wondering if your taste in literature is as strange as you are," Kravitz replies a little too lightly. He straightens again to pull a book off of one of the middle shelves and hold it out questioningly. "' _Caleb Cleveland: Kid Cop_ '?"

Taako suppresses a smile. "That's Agnes'."

"Agnes?"

He waves a hand and rolls his eyes. "Angus. That kid that was here the other day? The one you scared the shit out of?"

Kravitz's eyes suddenly drop away as he brings the book back towards him, starting to thumb at the pages. "I really didn't mean to do that," he says softly. "Things just - when I get emotional, it's... hard to keep things together."

He looks so guilty even Taako doesn't have the heart to tear into him for it - it would feel like dousing an already kicked puppy with ice water. Too extreme even for him. "Whatever. Anyway, those are his favourite, the little nerd," he explains, then waves a finger at the book. "Actually, they're set way back when, shouldn't be too out there for ya."

That earns him a skeptical frown. "You want me to read a book for children?"

"My dude, Angles is probably smarter than you 'n' me put together. He's the one that figured out you were deluded instead of just a douche. If he likes 'em, I'd say it's a pretty good recommendation. And just because it's for kids doesn't mean it's not good."

Kravitz inclines his head slightly and returns the book to the shelf. "Fair enough."

Taako studies him curiously. He's not exactly friendly, but all his sharp edges seem to have disappeared, like sea-tumbled glass washed up on a beach. Still cold, but pretty and no longer dangerous to touch. He readjusts his position against the doorframe.

"I haven't seen you around much. You been avoidin' me, homes?"

Frowning, Kravitz turns his head to look at him and opens his mouth, then shuts it again and averts his eyes. "I was... under the impression, that you wanted me out of your face," he says carefully, adjusting his shirt cuff without looking up. Taako fights the urge to wince. He had said that, hadn't he? And a lot of other things besides. Seemingly spurred by the silence, Kravitz continues, "And, I had to, um, had to rest, as well. I used up a lot of energy. I had to take some time to, to collect myself, as it were."

Taako raises an eyebrow, glad to be off the topic of his own actions. Self-reflection isn't his strong suit. "No shit, I had to buy a whole new set of dishes after that shitshow."

Running his fingers over the wood of the shelf in front of him, Kravitz watches him out of the corner of his eye. "...I don't have any money to reimburse you," he says quietly. "If I did, I would."

"Maybe I'll sell off some of your furniture for the damages."

"You can, if you want. That would only be fair."

Taako blinks a few times, unsure if he'd heard correctly. "You sure?"

Abandoning the bookcase, Kravitz turns to face him outright, though his eyes still flick away every few seconds. "I - look, I'm not an unreasonable person. Replacing your things is probably the least I can do after that performance, right?" He looks away completely and scratches at his face. "You don't have to worry about keeping your keys on you all the time any more, either. I won't try to lock you out again."

Taako finds his mouth hanging open slightly. He hadn't expected things to stay the same, but the complete change in attitude is a little jarring, to say the least. 

"Are we, uh, cool, then?" he asks, carefully. "You're done tryna kick me out?"

Kravitz returns his attention to his shirt cuff. "I've had time to think things over. You were in the right, and I was... mistaken."

"That's a funny way of sayin' wrong."

The corner of Kravitz's mouth twitches up, just slightly. "I suppose so."

There's an awkward silence. Kravitz fidgets with one of his suit buttons for a second before turning back to the bookcase again. Taking pity on him, Taako walks over and grabs a volume from near his knees and places it in his hands before collapsing onto the sofa with his feet on the table. Kravitz glances over and frowns a little, but doesn't say anything, instead flipping through a few pages of the book and turning it over to look at the back cover.

After another minute of stifling quiet, Taako sighs in exasperation and takes his feet off the table. Guess it's up to him to clear the air.

"Listen-"

"I just wanted to-" Kravitz starts at the same time.

They look at each other for a moment, then Kravitz drops his gaze and gestures an open palm in his direction.

"After, um - after you."

Taako falters for a second. He hadn't actually thought this far ahead. But if there's one thing he can do, it's talk.

"Okay, so first off, were you touching my face while I was sleepin' the other night? 'Cause while I'm totally into this," he gestures vaguely, "this weird creepy ghost thing you got goin' on, that's a little _too_ creepy for Taako."

"Oh. I, um - yes. Sorry," Kravitz stutters, turning semi-transparent, clearly embarrassed, and fumbling with the book in the process. It keeps slowly sliding through his fingers before he catches it again. "I was, was hoping you wouldn't notice. I just, I wanted to check something."

Taako squints at him. "What've you got to check that involves pokin' me in the face in the middle of the night, my dude? You checkin' to see if I died?"

"No - no, I wasn't - it's-" Struggling still to keep ahold of it, Kravitz carefully places the book onto a table and turns back towards him, working his thumb into the palm of his other hand. "Do you remember when you first got here, you shook my hand?"

"Yeah, and then I poofed you out of existence for a bit," Taako confirms. "But you were bein' a dick."

Kravitz ducks his head a little, nodding. "I understand your reasons. I wasn't exactly being hospitable. Kind of a dick, in fact, as you said. It was, just..." He chews his lip, studying his hand and tracing the lines of it with his fingers. "Your hand was really warm, hot as a fire. I wasn't sure if I was misremembering or if I'm, if I'm really as cold as that would suggest."

"Well uh, I don't mean to offend, but yeah, you are like a walking ice cube," Taako says, fingers flexing unconsciously at the memory of icy skin. "That difference was as much a surprise for me as it was for you."

Walking over to stand in front of him, Kravitz glances at his hand nervously. "May I?"

"Sure," Taako mumbles in bemusement, offering it. Kravitz reaches out carefully and takes it, drawing in a small breath when they touch. He's still cold as fresh snow, and if he can feel the temperature difference in the same way Taako can then touching Taako's skin is probably like holding a burning ember for him. He holds the contact for a second, then nods and purses his lips, pulling away and holding the hand that had been touching Taako's to his chest like he can keep the lingering warmth there if he protects it well enough.

"Thank you, that's - I'm sorry I touched you without permission before. Thank you for humouring me."

"Hey, no problem, I'm always up for hand-holding with a handsome dude."

Kravitz studies him for a second, head cocked slightly. "Why do you keep doing that?"

Taako snorts a little. "What, flirting with you?"

Kravitz nods, surprisingly earnest.

"Well - I mean I said it, didn't I?" Taako says with a shrug. "You're handsome, and I'm only human. I can stop if you're not into it, though, I get it. Unless I'm offending some fuckin', Victorian sensibility of yours, in which case you can fuck off, that shit doesn't fly any more, not that it ever should've."

"Oh, no, it's, it's not - I'm glad things seem to have changed in that regard. It's nice that you can be so brazen about it," Kravitz murmurs, rubbing at the back of his neck and momentarily looking away, then back. "It's just, it doesn't bother you that you're making advances on a, on a dead man? I'm... I'm just a ghost," he finishes quietly, fiddling with a cufflink and not quite meeting his eyes. "A memory of a person."

Taako offers another shrug. "You seem person enough to me. I'm not one for discrimination."

"That's... kind of you." Kravitz sits down on the sofa a little way away and clasps his hands between his knees, one finger tapping a steady rhythm against the others. "I've been thinking I owe you an apology."

He begins to say something else, but Taako cuts him off with a barked laugh. "I'd say you owe me a lot more than that."

Kravitz shoots him a vaguely irritated but mostly pained look. "Please let me finish. It's rude to interrupt."

"Sure, sure, fine. Didn't realise I was messin' up your script," Taako snickers, waving a hand.

"It's not a - you're making this harder than it needs to be," Kravitz frowns as the lights stutter slightly overhead. "I'm trying to apologise, unless you'd prefer I go back to throwing things at you?"

"'Kay, fine, I get it. Go ahead, my man."

"Alright - _anyway,_ " Kravitz exhales wearily. "I'm sorry I was so... so aggressive, towards you, and your family. I never meant to lose control like that. I don't think - I still, still hadn't really come to terms with the fact that I'm not - well, not alive. And fear is very easily turned to anger."

He's quiet for a second, gaze directed at his clasped hands, then continues quietly without looking up. "I knew something was amiss, really, but it was easier to pretend that I didn't. It scared me, and I didn't want to face it. Because it would mean facing that I'm just stuck here forever, alone." He worries at the illusory fabric of his suit over his knees as the lights start to flicker again. "Wilful ignorance is a powerful thing. Keeping people away was the best way to avoid having to think about it and, and this place is all I have. But, you didn't seem to be as scared of me as everyone else had been, and I - I started to think that maybe having someone here wouldn't be so bad, and maybe I didn't _have_ to be alone if I just let someone stay and - and that maybe even after everything you might still want to be friends, but when I asked if you had a reason to be here, you... you didn't seem to have one."

The flickering starts to worsen. "And I realised it was too late to try to build any bridges, so I thought I should just give up on the idea and go back to what I knew, but then you forced me to face, face _everything_ I'd been trying to ignore for, for years and it - I was just back where I'd started except I couldn't even pretend that I actually belong here anymore and it all just-"

He jerks his head up when the lights blink off entirely a few times, seems to catch himself in his rambling and uncurls his fingers from where they'd been bunching into fists with a sigh, smoothing out the rumpled fabric under his hands and dropping his head again. "Well, you were there, I don't have to remind you. I just wanted you to know that I really wasn't trying to hurt any of you. And I know it's - none of it is any excuse, I don't expect, expect forgiveness or anything like that, but I thought you at least deserved an explanation. I didn't want you to think the worst of me, if nothing else," he finishes softly, anxiously fidgeting with his hands.

They sit like that for a long moment. Taako is pretty sure Kravitz doesn't sleep or need to sleep, but he looks somehow exhausted, enough to make Taako feel kind of bad about yelling at him, even if it had been warranted at the time. The heavy silence stretches on, but Taako isn't quite sure if there's any comfort he can offer, or even if he should.

What are you supposed to say to that? ' _There, there, sorry you died and got stuck in your own house for a century?' 'Sorry I told you to fuck off right after pulling the rug out from under you?'_ Is ' _sorry_ ' something Taako should even be saying here? He's not sure if anything he did was justified or not any more. He hadn't even really considered the fact that maybe there was more than just territorial stubbornness behind the anger and yelling - he'd seen the fear, yes, but he hadn't realised how deep it ran, or thought that just maybe the best way to handle the fire turned his way was to try to soothe the source instead of stoking the flames until they burned themselves out.

It had been stupid, in hindsight, to get so caught up in winning this imaginary war when he should've really been trying to make peace. Trying to make a friend.

He finds himself reaching out to just, fucking, pat the guy on the shoulder or _something_ , but then jerks his hand back as Kravitz sighs again, and finally sits up to look at him, holding his gaze. His eyes are beautiful, now that Taako has the chance to get a closer look at them without other worries on his mind. A reddish-brown so dark and deep it feels like it could swallow his soul if he let it. He's so drawn in he almost misses the fact that Kravitz is speaking. "In any case, I apologise for my behaviour. I won't take up any more of your time. I can't leave - I mean, you, I suppose you already knew that - but I'll stay out of your way from now on. Won't get under your feet."

He stands and begins to fade out, starts to head towards the door. Shaken out of his daze, Taako leans over and tries to catch his wrist, but his hand passes right through. There's a sensation like cold static in his fingers, and while he hadn't managed to physically catch him, Kravitz still turns to look at him, lifting his other hand to brush the skin of his wrist almost reverently.

"Hey, you don't have to ghost me," Taako laughs, awkwardly, hoping that joke isn't too risky. He drops his hand and leans back into the cushions, trying his best to look relaxed even though olive branches are _totally_ not his style. His leg bounces of its own accord, and his eyes drift towards one of the windows. "Listen, I said a lot of shit because I was pissed off at the time, I don't care whether you're an affront to the natural order or not. We both coulda been nicer - like, I probably coulda handled this whole sitch better, been a bit more, uh, sensitive about it instead of treatin' it like a game and tryna rile you up on purpose. That's on me." He twirls a lock of hair around his finger. "And honestly, I've always had someone livin' with me one way or another. It'd be lonely on my own. I'm glad you're here, just stop breakin' my stuff."

Kravitz just stares at him for a second. Then, after a moment of quiet consideration, he offers a small, shy smile, another new expression for Taako's rapidly growing mental catalogue beside a gallery of various scowls, and he thinks probably his favourite. "I see. I'm... glad you're here, too," he says, a little tentatively. "Thank you for putting me straight. You, um, you did me a good turn, I would never have faced the truth on my own."

Taako snorts. "Hopefully not too straight."

Seeming lost, Kravitz's smile turns polite but confused. "I'm not sure I understand what you mean."

"Doesn't matter," Taako snickers, making a mental note to think about what slang he uses. He looks over at Kravitz and raises an eyebrow. "That's a pretty impressive level of stubborn, y'know, ignoring your own death for a hundred years."

Kravitz huffs a laugh that seems to take him a little by surprise. "I suppose so. I, uh, I can't really tell if that was a compliment or not."

"Neither can I," Taako smirks. "Now are you gonna come sit down? 'Cause I have an amazing reality show I've been meaning to watch, and I'm pretty sure seeing that in action is gonna blow your mind."

"I... yeah, alright. Thank you," Kravitz says, and carefully sits down a tiny fraction closer than he had before, looking around. "But what's, uh, what's a reality show, exactly?"

Taako hands him the TV remote, which he receives with a confused frown. "Point it at that black box over there and push the red button at the top," he says, gesturing. "I haven't used it yet 'cause Angus said it might freak you out, but I figure now's a good time to get caught up."

Still unsure, Kravitz does, and jumps a little as sound erupts from the speakers, but then he sees the figures and colours moving on the screen, and his eyes go wide in wonder. It might be just about the best thing Taako's ever seen.

"How-"

"Don't ask me how it works, I don't know, something fancy and electrical," Taako says, smiling at the way Kravitz gets up to put his face inches away from the screen and tap the glass curiously. "You shouldn't stand so close, it's bad for your eyes."

"I don't think that's something I need to worry about, do you?" Kravitz replies without looking back, still absorbed in his study of the new device. Taako huffs a short laugh.

"Wow, you adjust quickly."

"No point in dwelling on it, is there? I can't do anything about it," Kravitz says, craning his neck to look around the back of the TV.

"Funny, you didn't strike me as the easy-breezy type."

Kravitz turns back to him with one hand stuck through the screen, a pattern of white noise surrounding the overlap. "As what?"

Taako fights down a smile. "Doesn't matter. Anyway, I can't see the screen if you're standing in front of it."

"Are you sure?" Kravitz asks, suddenly barely visible.

Taako stares at him. Was that a joke?

Seeing his non-response, Kravitz shifts a little, awkwardly, quickly turning solid again. "Never mind. Sorry, I'll move."

Belatedly, Taako manages a snort and waves a hand. "No, sorry, that was pretty funny, honestly, I just didn't think you _had_ a sense of humour."

Kravitz smiles at the floor, a brief thing that's gone as soon as it appears. "Neither did I. It's uh, it's been a while."

"You tellin' me you didn't spend all this time practising your comedy routines?"

"Not quite."

"I'd never've guessed," Taako deadpans. "Anyway, get your butt back over here. You mind bringing that controller while you're at it, too? The funny-shaped thing with the sticks on it."

Kravitz turns and glances quickly around the area near the TV, then picks up the controller and holds it out, which is an image that's some special kind of anachronistic. "Uh, this?"

"That's the one. Give it here, bubeleh."

Taako takes the controller as Kravitz sits back down, and turns on the console. It takes a minute to get everything connected and set up, during which time Kravitz watches with interest.

"Why is it shaped so strangely?" he asks, watching him flick the sticks on the controller.

Taako glances over at him. "This? It's 'cause it's meant for playin' games with."

"Games? How do you play a game with that?"

"It's uh, probably easier if I just show you. Hard to explain if you've never played a video game before."

Kravitz looks slightly offended. "It's not like - I have played games before, I'm not-" He stops and grimaces a little. "Never mind."

"What?"

He scratches the side of his nose, looking steadfastly at the floor. "I was going to say dead."

Taako giggles. "Nice. What kinds of games?"

"Oh, um, chess, cards. I know a lot of card games."

"It's not like a card game," Taako titters. "Trust me."

"Surely a game is a game. They can't be that different."

"Tell you what, I'll make you a deal. Tomorrow, I'll teach you one of these, and then you can teach me a card game. I bet I'll kick your ass at at least one of those."

"Tomorrow?" Kravitz asks, straightening in his seat, obviously surprised. Taako levels him with a bored look.

"Unless you've got somewhere else to be, Casper."

"Well, uh, obviously not. I just didn't think you'd be going out of your way to spend time with me," Kravitz says, tugging at a loose strand of hair. "You know you don't, um, don't have to feel bad for me just because I'm dead."

"Clearly, that's not something I'm worried about," Taako says, gesturing with a raised eyebrow towards the spray bottle now sat on the living room table after Taako had found it tucked away on top of the fridge. Kravitz winces a little on reflex. "I was fuckin' with you 'cause of how you were actin', but you said you were sorry, and honestly you seem pretty chill, so I'm happy to call it quits."

"Uh, thank you, I think. Is, is 'chill' a good thing?"

Taako covers his mouth to hold a bark of laughter in at the vague concern on Kravitz's face. Yeah, he's probably gonna have to work around this language barrier thing a little. "Uh, yeah, just means you seem decent, homes."

"Oh. Well, um, thank you, then. You seem chill too," Kravitz says, and he's so earnest about it Taako feels like it would be cruel to laugh. If Kravitz is being nice, well, he can be nice. Taako can do nice if he wants, for sure. Maybe he'll be a little rusty, but he's not been out of the game for a hundred years, at least.

"Listen, how about we start over, huh?" he says, extending a hand. Kravitz only hesitates for a second before taking it and giving it a gentle shake, smiling slightly.

"Pleasure to meet you."

Taako snickers. "You're a fuckin' dork."

A slight frown creases Kravitz's face between his eyebrows, but he's still smiling. "That sounds like an insult."

"Depends on how you look at it. You can let go now, you know."

"Oh, right," Kravitz laughs nervously, dropping Taako's hand and clasping his own in his lap. "Sorry, the heat is a little, um, a little addictive."

Taako finds a grin on his face. "I've got an electric blanket upstairs. You wanna try it?"

Kravitz frowns at him. "How can a blanket be electric?"

"Oh, you'll see. I'll go get it, wait right there," Taako says, standing to leave.

"Um, alright. You're... not going to douse me with salt water or something, are you?" Kravitz asks, shifting uncertainly and glancing around like he's expecting a trap to spring. A week ago, there may well have been one, but Taako only scoffs at him.

"No salt, I promise. I told you, I'm happy to bury the hatchet if you are."

Kravitz still looks slightly wary of him, but he nods, that shy smile returning to his face. Taako pauses on his way to the door. "You should smile more, y'know. It's nice. Y'don't look so mean 'n' angry."

The smile drops from Kravitz's face for a split second as he blinks in surprise, but then returns a little brighter. "I'll do my best. I promise I'm capable of more than just mean and angry, if you're willing to give me another chance."

"I can tell. You're not so bad, Casper."

"Nor you. Perhaps we misjudged each other," Kravitz says, voice laced with uncertainty but also a quiet hope. Taako snorts and shakes his head.

" _Perhaps_. You fuckin' had your head on backwards, my dude." He hums a noncommittal noise and waves a hand as he continues out the door. "Whatever, you'd better still be here when I come back."

Kravitz's voice follows him out, a nervous laugh preceding, "I'm not going anywhere soon, don't worry."

"...Good," Taako says, and finds that he means it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Next comes the fun part :)
> 
> I've changed the tag here to be a little more accurate as it is more of an enemies-friends-lovers situation here than just one to the other, there's a bit more intermediary than I initially planned but who doesn't love a bit of awkward roommates falling in love?


	8. A New Day (Morning)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The house starts to become a home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long, hopefully the length of it makes up for the wait lol. I should really just say this'll update every two or three weeks and be done with it, huh?

 

An insistent voice cuts his sleep short. For a second, Taako thinks Lup must be trying to wake him, but it doesn't sound like Lup. The accent's all wrong.

...This feels familiar.

"Taako? Taako, wake up," Kravitz is saying, gently nudging his shoulder.

"What the fuck, Krav? I thought we were past this," Taako whines, covering his head with a pillow.

"It's almost eight," comes the soft reply. "Don't you need to be leaving?"

" _Shit!_ " Taako shouts, launching himself out of bed and colliding immediately with Kravitz, sending both of them toppling to the floor once and Taako twice as Kravitz flickers out of existence briefly before reappearing next to him, kneeling with his hands hovering half an inch away like he wants to help but is afraid to touch. 

"Aw shit, sorry, I-I didn't mean to drop ya like that, y'just, you just frightened me," he rushes, Cockney lilt broad and strong. "Are you alright?"

Taako waves him off and dashes over to his dresser to start pulling out clothes that somewhat resemble an outfit. Maybe staying up 'til four in the morning trying to explain to a ghost how reality TV worked hadn't been the best idea. "S'fine, fine, shit, I'm gonna be late for work."

"Where do you work? You've never said," Kravitz says, his accent suddenly snapping back again as Taako sprints past him towards the bathroom, throwing his lifeless phone onto the bed in irritation. He spares Kravitz a backwards glance as he follows down the corridor.

"I run a restaurant, s'a pretty big deal round here. You tellin' me you haven't noticed what a baller chef I am? You haven't clocked any of these _alluring aromas_?" Taako drawls, wiggling his fingers at Kravitz like he's casting a spell from where he's ended up lingering outside the bathroom door.

"I uh, I can't actually smell anything," Kravitz smiles, a little awkward. "I'm fairly certain eating's off the table, too. I suppose it all looked nice, though?" 

"Of fuckin' course it did, ch'boy's a culinary wizard," Taako scoffs, turning on his heel to head inside the bathroom and wash up. He's feeling gross after neglecting to wash off the kitchen sweat the day before. As much as he loves the enormous tub, he really wishes the place had a shower at times like these - maybe he can get an attachment for the bath or something.

"I'll take your word for it," comes Kravitz's voice from outside the room as Taako strips off and wets a cloth to use to at least attempt to smell a little better. He used to do this by necessity, so it's not like it's an unfamiliar process. Doesn't really have to worry about his hair either, seeing as it's gonna end up rebraided and in a net anyway. Kravitz's voice comes again through the closed door. "If you run the place, why are you so worried about being late?"

"'Cause if I'm late, every fucker I call an employee thinks that means they can be late, and if I have to be out of bed at this time in the morning to prep everything then so do they," Taako says, finishing his pseudo-bath and grabbing a towel to dry off with before he can freeze any further, it's fucking _cold_ today.

"Hm."

"What?"

"I suppose I just figured you for something a little more glamorous. Films, or something."

He finishes drying off and tugs on his clothes. "That your way of saying I'm a drama queen?"

"Well, I, uh, I meant because you look nice, but I suppose that works, too."

Taako opens the door and pokes his head around the frame to squint suspiciously at Kravitz where he's leaning against the wall, and Kravitz turns his head slightly to look at him, mildly surprised. "You tryna win me over with flattery now, Casper?"

Kravitz smiles at him for just the briefest second and then turns his attention to his shoes. "No, I - well, I simply felt that I didn't make an incredible first impression. And if you're staying here, the least I can do is be a good host. We're somewhat stuck with each other."

"Hey, I might be stuck with you, but you're fuckin' blessed to have me here, my man," Taako huffs in mock-offense, holding a hand to his chest. Kravitz casts him a sideways look.

"Do you want to know the other reason I thought films?"

"Sure."

"When I was alive they were silent," he says, face impassive but tone light.

"Now that's just rude," Taako snorts, but he's finding it hard to be genuinely offended and can't help but laugh, just a little. Kravitz cracks a small smile in return. Then the clock in the hall rings out eight, and Taako waves an accusatory finger at him as he turns to head back into the bathroom. "Stop distractin' me, anyway, you're makin' me later here."

"Right, sorry. I'll let you get on with it," Kravitz says with a nod, and goes to push himself up off the wall to leave. Taako turns to head back into the bathroom, but stops with his hand on the doorframe.

He can afford to be a little later, right? He's always carefully cultivated a rep for not giving a shit anyway. Or, enough of a shit that people know not to cross him, but not enough that his being fashionably late would be a surprise or hurt his authority.

"Y'know what? It's fine, those assholes can look after themselves for an hour for once," he says, turning around again, and maybe Kravitz's eyes get a little brighter, maybe that brief flash across his face was a smile. Taako sets his weight against the doorframe and lets his hair out of its braid so he can start combing it through with his fingers. "How'd you know what time I leave?"

Kravitz shrugs, settling back against the wall. "There's not a lot to do around here. Not so much activity, usually. I, um, I picked up your schedule fairly quickly," he says, not quite looking at him. He seems in all honesty a little embarrassed by that admission, which, yeah. Taako can't really decide whether that falls under creepy or thoughtful or what. Maybe just inevitable, with nothing to do and nowhere to go and Taako being the only new thing around.

"Oh. Well, thanks for wakin' me up. Who needs a house husband when I've got you, huh?"

"House... husband," Kravitz says slowly, like he's testing the shape of the phrase in his mouth. He gives Taako a curious look. "Is that, is that something that can happen, now? You said things had changed."

Taako grins. "Oh, hell yeah. For now, anyway. Haven't you met the couple next door?"

"I don't exactly go outside," Kravitz says, offering a hint of pained smile. "Or try to make friends."

"Guess not. Forgot you're an indoor cat," Taako snickers. "They're real nice gals, anyway, and married. We could get hitched, too, if you weren't a ghost boy," he adds with a teasing wink. So maybe flirting with a ghost is silly and unproductive, but at least it's fun.

Kravitz gives an awkward laugh. "That's uh, that's good. Glad I lived to see it. Or, not lived, but uh," he waves a hand vaguely and shrugs a little. "Whatever you'd call this."

That thought pauses Taako a little. He'd put his money (or at least his house) on the idea that Kravitz would move on once he realised he was dead, but he's still here, if about ten orders of magnitude nicer. If it hadn't been his refusal to face his death, what is it that's stopping him from moving on? Or is all the ghost lore that they'd been going off just way off base, and in actual fact he's just stuck here forever? That sounds like a lonely existence, even if he stays this friendly with any future tenants.

Having not been offered a response, Kravitz pushes himself back up off the wall and offers a polite smile as he turns to head away down the corridor. "My apologies, that's not exactly pleasant talk, is it? I'll stop distracting you, it won't do for you to be too late in your position."

Taako jumps a little as he comes back to himself. "No, it's, uh, it's fine, my bad. Taako just kinda zoned out for a second there."

Kravitz pauses and turns back to look at him. "That's not a phrase I'm familiar with, I'm afraid."

"Y'know, uh, got lost in my own head a little bit. You're right though, I should get my shit together, huh? Set an example or somethin'."

Kravitz nods. "I'll see you downstairs," he says, and continues on his way.

Taako skips through the rest of his routine relatively quickly, though not so quickly that he looks any less stunning than usual. Hair and the barest touch of makeup (because really, you don't cover up perfection) are finished in record time, and then he's downstairs for a quick breakfast and a coffee before he heads out. He's hit with another sudden pang of longing for Lup, knowing she would have both ready for him by the time he entered the kitchen if she was working from home that day. But instead, Kravitz is sat at the table reading the book Taako had handed him the day before, frowning a little in concentration and chewing at his thumbnail, the one that Taako had noticed before was already ragged. Must be a long-standing habit to stay on a century after death, he thinks absently on his way to the refrigerator, where he pulls out some eggs and milk and bumps the door shut with his hip.

First food, then caffeine, he decides as he sets a pan on the stove, turns on the heat, cracks some eggs into a bowl and starts to whisk them together with some herbs and pepper - no time for anything fancy, but he can still make a decent omelette, even if it's a little plain. He turns to check the heat of the pan and almost knocks a mug of coffee onto the floor with his elbow - as it is, it wobbles precariously for a second before lifting off the counter and setting itself down a foot or so further away.

"Oh, hell, sorry, I should've, should've told you I put that there, shouldn't I?" Kravitz says, suddenly next to him with a cloth in his hand and quickly clearing up the spilt liquid. Once he's done, he takes a step back and gestures towards the coffee machine. "I just thought I'd save you some time."

Taako glances towards the machine (a housewarming gift from Magnus and Julia; he still prefers his French press, but it's nice to be able to summon caffeine at the touch of a button) and then back to Kravitz. "How'd you-?"

Kravitz flashes a small smile, seeming entertained by his reaction. He points at the box still sat on the counter next to the machine. "I read the manual. As I said, not a lot of entertainment. I wasn't just being dramatic when I said I had nothing better to do than stare at you all night."

"Hachi machi, we gotta get you a tablet or somethin'," Taako mutters as he pours his egg mixture into the pan, then turns back to Kravitz, now sitting at the counter, and narrows his eyes at him. "...You haven't been, have you? Starin' at me all night?"

Kravitz scratches at his face, brows drawing together over his smile. "Uh, no, I haven't. That would be, um, creepy, as you put it."

"So what do you do?" Taako asks, retrieving the mug of coffee and dumping a few spoonfuls of sugar into it. "You sleep?"

"No, I can't really, um, I can't sleep, as such," Kravitz says, with a hesitance that seems less drawn from reluctance and more from a lack of words. "I can do something similar to, to - I suppose you could call it drifting, if I let myself. It's what I did much of the time when no-one was here. It's a little like sleeping, or - or hibernating, I suppose. Lying dormant."

Taako folds over his omelette. "So why don't you do that at night instead of wandering around?"

Kravitz makes an odd face that communicates something like uncertainty. His nose wrinkles up a little and Taako is once again struck with the thought that it's unfairly cute. "It's, um, if I get to that point, it takes me a long time to wake up. As in days, a week, longer. It's hard to tell. I used to come back to myself and things had changed while I was out, but I was kind of determined not to think about it," Kravitz says. Taako hums an acknowledgment and plates up his breakfast. Smells amazing, as per, too bad ghost boy can't appreciate his skills.

"It's, honestly, it's a hard state to pull myself out of at all unless someone comes banging and crashing around to wake me up," Kravitz continues with a slight smile in Taako's direction as he grabs some cutlery, pulls up a chair and sits down opposite with his food. Taako raises his eyebrows at the plate in front of him.

"And I thought I was bad at getting out of bed."

Kravitz huffs a quiet laugh and runs a hand through his hair, and Taako's fork stills on the way to his mouth. That first week, Kravitz had had his long, raven-black hair pulled back into a neat bun at the base of his neck, with the occasional errant strand falling over his face, but sometime during the night he'd taken out the tie securing it to let it hang loose around his shoulders in tight, frizzy curls. It does wonders to soften his features, and frames his face in a way that has Taako staring a little until Kravitz gives him a slightly uncomfortable look. "Um. Is something wrong?"

Feeling like he's been caught with his hand in the cookie jar, Taako occupies himself with his eggs. "No, sorry. You just, uh, your hair looks nice like that."

"Oh. Thank you," Kravitz says with a touch of surprise, pulling out one of the tiny ringlets with his fingers and letting it spring back again. "It wasn't ever really the accepted style for men, but I never had the heart to cut it off. People always said it looked unruly."

Taako scoffs around a mouthful of omelette. "Clearly those fucks didn't have a clue what they were talking about."

"Well, I can see why it would be nice to have it out of the way more permanently," Kravitz muses, brushing a stray curl behind his ear. "I used to put it in braids sometimes, but since, uh," he waves a hand vaguely at himself, "I only had the one piece of ribbon, and if I try to use anything that isn't already, um, attached to me, it just falls out later."

"Shame," Taako mumbles into his coffee. He should probably have said thank you to the guy for making it, but a compliment is an equivalent exchange, right? "Bet it'd look nice."

"Thank you. That's kind of you to say."

"Psh. Anythin's gonna look good next to that face, Casper, I'm just speakin' the truth."

"Now who's resorting to flattery?" Kravitz chuckles, and Taako sticks out his tongue at him before turning back to his food.

He doesn't take long to eat, and with Kravitz's insistence that he can leave the dishes to him he's soon bundled up against the cold and pulling his shoes on by the door while Kravitz stands a little way off, watching.

Taako completes his ensemble with a bright salmon-pink scarf and turns back to him. "So, uh, see ya later, I guess."

Kravitz nods, seeming a little unsure of what to do with himself. "Yes, um, have - have a good day," he says, though it almost sounds more like a question than a goodbye. Everything he does is so hesitant now, like he's not quite certain of how he should be acting. Which is something that a hundred years of only interacting with people by snapping and yelling might do to a person, Taako supposes, but it makes him feel a twinge of something, watching him so clearly out of his element and trying to push through anyway. Not pity, but... respect, maybe. Something like that. He throws him a wink.

"Thanks, my guy. And hey, if you wanna use the TV, be my guest. I'm sure you can figure it out."

Kravitz glances towards the living room and then back to him. "The TV is the - the box in the sitting room? I - yes, thank you, I'll be careful with it."

"You'd better be," Taako snorts. "I know all your shit's antique, Casper, but I still don't know how much of it I'd have to sell to replace that thing."

"Right, of course. Maybe I shouldn't touch it, then."

Taako goes to pat his shoulder before thinking better of it and turning it into a dismissive wave. "Chill, Krav, I was just joking. You're not gonna break it just by usin' it. I'll be seein' ya, anyway," he says, shooting him a finger gun as he turns to leave.

Then he opens the door.

"OH SHIT SNOW DAY," he shouts, bounding out the door and down the porch steps. Kravitz follows a little way behind him and stands on the porch, watching him wade into the foot and a half of snow that's settled on the ground. Work can fucking _wait_.

"Wow. I didn't realise it was so bad." Kravitz crouches down to scoop up a handful of snow from the top step and turns it over in his hands. Unsurprisingly, it shows no indication of melting. "I don't know if I've ever seen this much snow before."

"That's global warming for you, Casper, does all kinds of weird shit to the weather," Taako says airily as he marches around and packs the snow into a slightly-less-than-perfect-but-still-recognisable dick shape. Hell yeah.

"But it's... not warm," Kravitz frowns, standing and moving over to lean against the porch railing, and Taako grimaces. That's gonna be a whole discussion to have, the whole humanity destroying the planet thing.

He finishes his work of art and nods in satisfaction before moving a few feet away to flop down and start making snow angels. It's worth being freezing for, he only wishes Lup was here to join him. They used to love doing this at their aunt's house when they were kids, a rare moment of silliness before returning to reality.

"You're going to catch a cold," Kravitz says from the porch. He sounds almost amused. Taako blows a raspberry at him.

"God, you're such an old man. Have some fun for once in your life. Death. Whatever."

"As much as I'd love to make myself even colder, you're kind of out of my jurisdiction out there. I can appreciate the spirit, though."

Taako waves a finger at him as he stands up and brushes himself off. "Ha, spirit. You're not bad at these."

"I - it wasn't on purpose," Kravitz mumbles to himself.

"Maybe it should be. Own your shit, ghost man, that's prime pun material."

"You are fond of wordplay, aren't you?" Kravitz says, a curious tilt to his voice. Taako fixes him with a very serious look.

"My man, that's like, one tenth of my comedic skill. I'm hilarious."

"Modest, too," Kravitz snorts. Taako huffs and flips him off.

"What's that phrase old people like to say? ' _Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit_ '?"

"' _But the highest form of intelligence_ '," Kravitz replies, eyebrows lifting slightly. "I didn't think people would still be quoting Wilde."

"If he said good shit, he said good shit, my dude, I don't care how old he is."

"I don't disagree. I was just a little surprised, but then I suppose that conviction wouldn't be so scandalous now, given what you've told me."

Taako frowns at him, unsure if this is common knowledge that he missed out on due to his patchy education or whether it's just something buried with time. "What conviction?"

"Gross indecency. For having a male lover," Kravitz says indifferently. Taako gives a low whistle.

"Boy, you sure had a fun little society goin' back then, didn't ya? Glad it's you standin' there and not me."

"You'd be surprised. Concern with preserving good moral values usually only applies to the public eye. Just because something is illegal doesn't mean it doesn't happen."

"Guess that's a fair point," Taako muses. He makes his fingers into a rectangle and holds them up against the scenery like he's planning a picture. "So I'm thinkin' two snowmen."

Kravitz snorts and leans his chin on his hand, elbows resting in the snow along the railing. "Why don't you add a snow baby or two while you're at it?"

"Oh, _domestic_. I like it."

"And a dog."

Taako throws him a look. "Makin' demands now, are we?" 

"Just creative direction," Kravitz says with a shrug. "I would help if I could."

"Can't you just, whip up a little snow dog from over there with your spooky ghost powers?" Taako asks, snapping his fingers for emphasis.

"No, I can't," Kravitz says. He flicks a finger and a small chunk of snow starts floating slowly away from the porch railing. About a foot out, it wavers and drops out of the air into a drift. "I told you, you're outside of my purview."

"I say you're a quitter."

Kravitz gives a resigned sigh. "Suit yourself."

Taako pulls a face at him and gets to work. It's harder than usual with nobody to help, but he's also immensely talented and there's snow like, everywhere, so it's not so difficult to get something scraped together.

He's halfway through snowman number one when something cold and wet hits him in the back of the head. He whirls and glares at Kravitz, who's watching him from the porch with his face the picture of innocence. It might even be convincing if not for the fact that there's snow missing from the railing next to him. "Is something the matter?" he asks.

"Don't play dumb, Casper. There's no-one else here."

"I'm afraid I haven't a clue what you're talking about."

"Oh, okay, I see how it is. Clearly it was a ghost," Taako says flatly, turning back to his project with raised eyebrows, and hears the briefest burst of genuine laughter come from behind him. It's a startlingly pleasant sound, measured but bright. Warm, even.

Taako decides he needs to make that happen again. Just as a personal challenge to himself. Who else can say they made a dead guy laugh? No-one, probably.

But first, revenge.

"Eat snow, Casper!" he yells, turning around and flinging a return snowball Kravitz's way. It flies straight through him to explode against the front of the house, and Kravitz snickers quietly into his hand as Taako throws up one of his own in indignation.

"Okay, that's gotta be against the rules."

Kravitz tilts his head, amused. "So this is a competition now? A game?"

"I'm pretty sure it's an unspoken rule of snowball fights that you gotta be able to hit the other person," Taako says, resting his hands on his hips. Kravitz's eyes widen in feigned surprise.

"Is that so? Must be a new rule, I don't remember anything like that."

"Anyone ever tell you you're a sarcastic piece of shit?" Taako asks, and Kravitz shrugs, smirking a little. "Whatever, you gotta let me get at least _one_ point in there, or it's just bullying."

"There's a points system now?" Kravitz chuckles, his smirk shifting more towards a real smile that definitely isn't distracting in the least.

"Uh, chyeah. Three for the body, nine for the face, let's go," Taako says with a clap of his hands, and starts scooping up snow by the armful, packing it into balls and launching them towards Kravitz, who just continues to snicker quietly as they sail right through him.

"That really isn't going to get you anywhere, I'm afraid."

"It would if you'd play fair," Taako whines as the next projectile sails wide. "Are you gonna fight back or what?"

"You _want_ me to throw something at you?"

"You started this, Casper, now stop bein' such a bore!"

"Well, if you insist," Kravitz sighs, and scoops up his own handful of snow to lob towards him. Taako almost manages to sidestep neatly out of the way, but, somehow, he had managed to forget that he was halfway through creating a tripping hazard, and his foot collides with the base of his snowman to send him toppling to the ground. He lands on his side in a snowdrift with an undignified squawk and lies there for a second, winded.

"Hey, are you alright?" Kravitz calls, sounding concerned. Taako doesn't move. After a second, Kravitz's voice comes again. "Taako, you know I can't come over there, don't play games like that." There's real worry starting to creep into his voice now, and Taako grins to himself. "Taako?" Another snowball hits his shoulder, hard, but he doesn't react. "Shit, shit, um..."

Taako hears the door open and shut and carefully lifts his head to check the coast is clear, then leaps up and rushes over to the house, gathering a handful of snow on the way and stopping special-ops style with his back against the wall next to the door. A few moments later, Kravitz comes back out with a bundle of spoons in hand, and Taako smashes the snow into his face, eliciting a muffled shout that sends a shudder through the house and knocks half a dozen icicles from the porch awning, as well as several buckets' worth of snow. Kravitz disappears for half a second, the spoons clattering to the floor, before reappearing a foot further away, frowning at him.

"Looks like that's a big ol' nine-pointer for Taako!" Taako crows, and blows over the tips of his fingers like he's clearing smoke from the barrel of a gun.

"That was unfair," Kravitz complains, "I was worried and you took advantage."

Taako beams, feeling unbelievably smug. "Worried, huh?"

"You looked like you were hurt!" Kravitz huffs. "It was underhanded."

"So ghost powers are allowed, but subterfuge isn't? I'll keep that in mind," Taako snorts. He looks down at the spoons scattered across the wooden boards. "What were you even gonna do with those, anyway?"

"I was, uh, going to throw them at the neighbours' windows until someone took notice," Kravitz admits, scratching at his cheek. Taako claps a hand over his mouth as he starts to giggle hysterically, quickly giving up and doubling over with his hands over his stomach because the image of Kravitz standing on the porch _throwing_ _spoons_ across the fence to call for help is just _too good_.

"You're being very cruel," Kravitz scolds, but there's a smile carried on his voice.

"Fuck, Casper - you're, you're so - shit, that's so good," Taako wheezes. He's laughing so hard at this point he's practically on the floor.

"Well, what else would you like me to have done?" Kravitz asks, sounding like he's aiming for indignant but doing a poor job of it. "I don't have many options, you know."

"It's - you've just got all these spooky scary ghost powers and a mountain of snow and all you can - all you can fuckin' think of is pullin' some teen romance movie shit with my goddamn silverware," Taako replies, cackling. He heaves a few deep breaths to calm himself a little and dabs at his eyes with his scarf. "Sorry, I shouldn't - you tried, babe, fuck," he sniffs, still giggling slightly.

"I-I see. I suppose next time I'll just, just ignore you, then," Kravitz says, pouting a little and folding his arms.

"Mmn, you're just mad 'cause I took the lead," Taako grins.

Kravitz watches him for a second, head cocked slightly, then something sparks in his eyes and Taako is hit with an avalanche of snow from all sides. It leaves his face stinging from the cold, and he stands there for a second with his shoulders protectively hunched up to his ears and his eyes squeezed shut as lumps of powder sheaf off his coat and hair.

"So how many points is that?"

Irritated, Taako opens his mouth to offer some kind of sharp comment in retaliation for completely ruining his makeup, but when he looks up, Kravitz is grinning at him, wide and unabashed, and he feels his anger melt like ice under the sun. Because that smile is just... it's gorgeous.

It's a smile that lights up Kravitz's whole face, creasing his eyes at the corners and held ever-so-slightly lopsided, showing just a sliver more teeth on one side than the other. It's not brilliant white or perfect, but it is bright and sincere, and distracting enough that Taako immediately forgets whatever tirade he'd had ready. In fact, it's straight-up dazzling, which is... not what he would have expected.

"Hey, are those real?" he asks before he can really think about what he's saying, and Kravitz blinks at him, looking a little thrown. The smile flees and Taako finds himself regretting opening his mouth.

"Are - are what real?"

"Your teeth, shouldn't they be made of wood or somethin'?"

Kravitz just looks at him for a moment. Then he lets out a short burst of disbelieving laughter, then another, seemingly unable to hold them back. "Just how old do you think I am?" he asks incredulously, another smile tugging at his mouth. " _Wooden teeth?"_

"Wh- I'm not some kinda _dental historian_ , I don't know shit about teeth," Taako huffs defensively.

"Clearly," Kravitz chuckles, that broad grin returning to his face. "We had _toothpaste,_ Taako, I'm-" He breaks off to snort quietly into the back of his hand, shaking with suppressed laughter.

Taako allows himself a flash of triumph at that. That counts as a partial success, probably. Can't run before you can walk, after all. This might be a tough nut to crack, but like hell if Taako has ever failed to rise to a challenge. At least, a challenge he thinks is gonna be fun.

Kravitz pulls himself together tragically quickly and gestures towards the road. "So, um, should you not be going, still? You're probably very late by now."

Taako is indeed very, very late by now. But he's also kinda tired from his late night and the road looks icy enough to justify avoiding travel entirely. And maybe if he keeps at this a little longer, he can get another genuine laugh out of this guy before dinner.

"My man, I have just been given the best excuse to go back to bed and catch up on my beauty sleep," he says as he unwraps his now-sodden scarf, "Taako's takin' the day off."

"Is that - can you do that?"

Taako shrugs. "You said it, I own the place, right? Why do I gotta worry about being late or whatever? I run the show." He coughs dramatically and presses a hand to his forehead. "And would you look at that? I think I'm comin' down with something from getting all chilly in the snow, guess that settles it."

Kravitz's fingers toy with a cufflink. "Well, um, alright. Shame I woke you up, then, really."

"Nah, my man, it was nice of ya," Taako grins. "And I got to give you a facial with that sweet mother earth dandruff."

"I think I understood maybe half of that," Kravitz says with a small smile. "But I'm glad to be of use. You should probably dry off before you do actually catch something, too."

"And whose fault is it that I'm lookin' like I got caught in a blizzard, huh? That's on you."

Kravitz gives a short laugh, looking sheepish as he plays with a strand of his hair. "Maybe I got a little carried away."

"Uh-huh. I'm callin' that my win, anyway, you cheated," Taako declares, waving a finger at him. He receives a raised eyebrow in return.

"So did you."

"I was completely within the rules, my man - you, on the other hand? Disqualified."

Kravitz just shrugs, hands tucked casually into his pockets. "Let's agree to disagree."

"Which is code for you admitting defeat, right?" Taako presses.

"If you like."

Taako huffs a little. He's not sure he likes chill Kravitz. Angry Kravitz was a lot more fun to mess with.

Pulling out his phone, he shoots off a text to Ren telling her he won't be there to supervise today and it's up to her whether she wants to open the place up or not (she will), then stretches and shakes some of the snow out of his hair.

"Anyhoo, ch'boy's gonna take a nap. Wake me up if I'm not up by noon, huh?"

"I'm not an alarm clock," Kravitz chides, unimpressed. Taako shrugs and shoves his phone back into his pocket.

"Well, I gotta tell ya, s'much nicer to wake up to that face than some electronic fucker screamin' at me, handsome, but whatever, I don't actually expect you to do that."

Shifting a little on his feet, Kravitz scratches at his cheek and nudges some loose snow on the floor with the toe of his shoe. "Well, I - I suppose I could. It's not as if I'm doing much else."

Taako pats his shoulder on the way past as he heads back inside. Still cold as fuck, he notes idly. "I knew I liked you, Casper," he says, and it earns him another soft smile he's thinking he wants to see a lot more of.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This was supposed to be bundled up with the next chapter (hence part one) but all together it was just... super duper long, so I split it up a little. Even with that, the next chapter is looking like it's gonna be a similar length to this one, so it might be a little while ><
> 
> Fun fact, toothpaste started to be mass-produced in tubes in the 1880s, do with that what you will. My google search history when I'm writing this is a mess
> 
> Edit 15/3/18: New chapter is... on its way. I'm almost done, I promise. Things've been busy and I'm doing my best :')


	9. A New Day (Afternoon)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Bonding Continues. Video Games Are Played.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Heeeey sorry it's been like.... literally a month and a half ;; I'm doing my best I promise I'm just kinda buried atm T~T
> 
> Had to split this one in two again because it just kept getting longer jfc (IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE 2K NOT 6.5)

 

Taako wakes up from his 'nap' a half hour before midday, tragically, and he's tempted to just stay there until noon proper so that Kravitz will have to come wake him up like he promised. Then he frowns at himself, because since when does he look _forward_ to seeing Kravitz?

Or, maybe _seeing_ Kravitz is always a treat for the eyes, but interacting? Psh. Sure, he's nicer now, but it's not like Taako has a personal investment there. Dummy.

So he rolls out of bed and trudges back downstairs wrapped in half a dozen blankets - or at least he tries, because Kravitz comes out of the living room just in time to catch sight of him as he's reaching the first step and give him a look of mild horror.

"What are you doing? That's dangerous, what if you tripped on those? You'd break your neck."

"Are you sayin' you wouldn't be there to catch me, bubeleh?" Taako says with a smirk, propping himself against the end of the banister. Kravitz frowns at him and tucks his hands into his pockets, resting his weight on one hip, which is fucking. Unfairly hot.

"I'm a ghost, not a god. I can't be everywhere at once."

Suddenly jolted off a tangent to do with how a ghost rests weight on anything when he probably doesn't have a body that  _weighs_ anything to begin with, Taako gives a small _hmph_. "Maybe I gave you too much credit, then. Anyway, it's fine, I do this all the time."

He doesn't do this all the time. His and Lup's place didn't even have stairs, and before that he rarely got the chance for a day off cozied up in blankets. But Kravitz doesn't need to know that so he can be all judgy-judgy.

The man in question hums doubtfully. "I take no responsibility if you die or injure yourself."

Taako rolls his eyes and bunches the blankets up over his forearms, away from his feet. "There, happy?"

"I told you, if you want to risk your life, that's your business," Kravitz says, then snorts a little and raises his eyebrows at his feet. "It's not as if I'm in a position to comment."

"Exactly, so maybe just, uh, _let ch'boy live_."

Kravitz nods, lips twitching slightly. "Of course. I suppose it isn't really any of my business. Apologies for butting in."

Taako frowns to himself. It's kind of annoying that he isn't getting any resistance at all any more; it's making him feel like he's a little kid being placated and not a grown ass adult owning his potentially stupid decisions. Where does ghost boy get off being all concerned for his welfare, anyway? It's not like he was even faking an injury this time. Like, okay, so the two of them are cool now, but this whole being considerate without reason thing is _weird_. It's kicking up feelings Taako's not quite sure how to parse.

So obviously, he ignores them.

"Listen, it's cute that you're worried, Casper, but if - _if_ , I die, it's gonna be somethin' a little more dramatic than fallin' down some stairs," he assures, because it's true. Kravitz lifts an amused eyebrow at him.

"If?"

"If," Taako confirms, and it gets him a small laugh and a slight shake of the head.

"Well, please just be careful. I'd hate for you to get hurt _after_ I stopped trying to do that myself," Kravitz says, snapping his fingers, and the book from earlier floats out of the living room and into his hand as he walks away into the kitchen. Taako heaves a sigh and thuds his way deliberately down the stairs, wondering if the snapping is a requirement to move stuff around or if Kravitz is just doing it for dramatic effect. Given what he's seen of the guy so far, probably the latter. He seems to have a bit of a thing for needless dramatic flair - which, honestly, is something Taako can get behind. A bit of drama makes things interesting.

He pushes into the kitchen to find Kravitz settling himself at the counter with the book, and raises an eyebrow.

"You followin' me, ghost boy?"

Kravitz glances over and immediately stands from his seat, scooping the book off the counter. "Oh, sorry, I - I'll get out of your way," he says, starting to make for the door, but Taako waves him down.

"Chill, my man, it's fine. I don't care where you sit," he says, and Kravitz pauses in his flight out of the room, hesitates for a moment, and then returns to his seat with a small nod.

"Thank you."

Taako scoffs. "For what, homes? Dunno why you think you need my permission or whatever."

"Well, you - you own this place now, and I don't want to insert myself where I'm not wanted," Kravitz mumbles. Boy, is he gonna get over that one little rant any time soon? Taako already _apologised_ , even.

"That's what he said," Taako snorts, earning himself an odd look, but no actual comment. He circles a finger in Kravitz's general direction. "Why'd you move, anyway? Somethin' wrong with the living room?"

"Ah, this room gets more light around now," Kravitz explains, gesturing to the windows. "Easier to read by."

"I mean, you could just turn the lights on if it's too dark."

Kravitz nods and flicks between a couple of the book's pages. "That's true, but - I don't want you to incur more expense on my account than you have already."

"God, listenin' to you talk is a fuckin' trip sometimes, I tell ya," Taako snickers to himself, and catches a flicker of an awkward smile across Kravitz's face.

"I believe I could say the same for you. I have to say I'm guessing your meaning half of the time."

Taako throws up a hand at him as he unwraps his mound of blankets and throws it onto the counter. "Fuckin' ask me, then, jeez. How else is this gonna work, huh? You just keep guessing and hope you're right?"

He watches Kravitz's small shrug and tries not to think about when he'd decided house-sharing with this guy was something long-term. Planning his future around others is not a Taako(™) thing, aside from Lup, but. It's not like Kravitz is going anywhere, and he himself doesn't have any reason to move out. So that leaves this as an ongoing situation for now, being... housemates? Friends? That's a weird thought. But either way, it's in his best interests for them to be able to actually understand each other.

"Tell me if you don't understand somethin', Casper," he says wearily, grabbing his French press off a shelf and setting it on the side. "I'm not gonna bite. And turn the lights on if you need 'em, I got this place for next to nothin'."

"You got--? But this is a nice house," Kravitz says with something of a pout, seeming mildly affronted. Then he sighs and drops his eyes to follow the run of his fingers along the chain of his actual, literal pocket watch. "I suppose it has been a long time. I should think you've probably got much better places than this old house, now."

Taako shoots him a sideways look as he starts fumbling around a cupboard for his coffee beans. "Oh, it's still a nice place, just most people don't wanna live with an angry ghost, babe."

"O-oh. Right, that - that does make sense," Kravitz says with a slight grimace towards the counter, twisting a couple of fingers into his hair. "Didn't realise I'd given it a reputation."

Taako lets out a short bark of laughter. "Neither did I, realtors conveniently left that one out." He sweeps a hand dramatically in Kravitz's direction, affecting an insufferably snooty accent and turning to talk to an invisible audience. "' _And over to your left you can see the world's most stubborn ghost, maybe if you're lucky he'll throw an insult your way instead of a vase.'_ " 

To his mild relief, Kravitz does find that funny rather than insulting, laughing softly into his hand. It's a really nice laugh, subdued as it is, and Taako wishes he wouldn't cover his mouth so that he could see the accompanying smile.

Woah, nope.

Nope nope nope. No.

He quickly turns away to start rummaging through the refrigerator, abandoning the coffee for now and putting _that_ line of thinking firmly out of mind. It's close enough to lunch time that he figures he can start prepping, and he's got the time to make something a little fancier for once, so he may as well make a meal of it. He has all the time in the world - maybe some cinnamon rolls, or - _ooh_ , a quiche from scratch. He still has those eggs that need to be used, and everything else he'd need as well. But then the dough would need time to chill, and he doesn't wanna wait _that_ long... hm.

Well, whatever. He's only cooking for himself; he can afford to cut a couple corners, shove the dough into the freezer for a little while instead. It won't be the best pastry he's ever made, but it'll still be pretty darn good, because, after all, he's _Taako:_ kitchen wizard.

Decision made, he starts pulling out ingredients and equipment and organising them the way he likes. He's not a fan of messy kitchen practises, and there's a tranquility to the process of careful measuring and laying things out that he finds soothing. Not to say that he doesn't sometimes play fast and loose with his measurements, but good cooking should be equal parts art and science, in his (clearly correct) opinion.

Kravitz continues to sit at the counter while he kneads and whisks his way through the process, now a good chunk of pages further through his book than he had been earlier that morning. He seems to be enjoying it, or at least determined to finish it. A couple of times, Taako glances over to find him quietly watching him work, but he quickly looks away each time and goes back to slowly flipping pages. 

"See somethin' you like, Casper?" Taako asks the fourth time this happens, and Kravitz looks up with an air not unlike that of a caught criminal.

"Ah, sorry, it's just - you're very good at that. It's kind of entrancing to watch."

Taako tries not to preen too much and goes back to frying his fillings. "You think this is good, you shoulda seen my live shows. Fuckin', _oodles_ more flair, you'd love it."

Marking his page with a scrap of paper and closing his book, Kravitz rests his chin on his hand, watching him with the barest suggestion of a smile. "What kind of flair are we talking about here?"

"Well, uh, let's see." Taako glances around, then picks an egg up off the counter, throws it a couple of feet into the air, and catches it on the blunt edge of a knife, splitting it in two over a mixing bowl. Performance finished, he takes a deep bow - but when he's met with nothing but silence, he lifts his head and cocks an eyebrow. "C'mon, no applause? Not all of us can move shit with our minds, my man."

Obligingly, Kravitz gives him a slow and maybe slightly sarcastic clap. "Bravo, you really gave that egg its comeuppance," he deadpans, but quickly breaks and lets out a small snicker as Taako makes a face at him. "Really, it's very impressive. And people would pay to watch you?"

"Wouldn't you?"

Kravitz inclines his head, conceding the point. "Fair enough. I probably would."

Taako eyes him curiously. "Come to think of it, you've got some serious piano skills. That somethin' you did professionally? Star performer for some orchestra or whatever?"

For a moment, it seems like Kravitz isn't going to answer; he frowns a little and stares at him blankly, but then he shakes himself and rubs at his jaw. "I - I used to sing, when I was younger. Just on the street." 

"And people would pay you to shut up?" Taako jabs playfully, and gets another burst of quiet laughter. He's getting good at this, he notes with no small drop of satisfaction.

"No. But it doesn't do to to sing one's own praises."

"Which suggests you want to," Taako points out, and definitely sees a smirk flash across Kravitz's face. To be honest, he can believe that Kravitz would sing well. He has a nice voice, now that he's not shouting all the time, soft and smooth - maybe not a _manly_  and  _gravelly_  and _powerful_ voice like Magnus', but then Taako had never seen what all the fuss was about in that area. He also doesn't see why Kravitz shouldn't put his money where his annoyingly beautiful mouth is.

He turns off the burner and moves to lean forward onto the counter, locking eyes with Kravitz's and making it very clear that this is a gauntlet being thrown down here. "If you're such a songbird, let's hear it, then."

"Ah, I don't - I haven't practised my singing in a very long time," Kravitz says apologetically, avoiding his eyes by carefully smoothing out his tie. "I prefer the piano."

Taako picks at his nails. "Sounds like coward talk," he muses.

"I - I have my reasons," Kravitz says, though he looks like he doesn't quite believe that himself, "I would appreciate your not making me list them."

Taako frowns, but decides not to keep pushing for now. They've already fought enough over dumb shit, and he'd rather not go back to the yelling. He does wish if Kravitz didn't want to do it he would just say so, though, instead of coming up with some vague excuse. "Boo," he whines as he goes back to his pastry, now baked enough to be filled with veggies and egg custard before going back for another round. "But whatever, I won't grill ya."

"Thank you," Kravitz says quietly, and they leave the topic there. Taako still wants to ask, though. Being nice and considerate is annoying.

It's not long before Taako is sliding his filled quiche back into the oven to finish cooking, and he plans to spend the baking time idly messaging Lup and playing phone games. Except somehow, he ends up talking to Kravitz again, when a tentative question about what it is he's doing with the device runs onto Taako somehow talking about his sister's career and how well she's doing - all the things he normally says about her, because Lup's fucking smart as hell and he's proud of everything she does, but it's _weird_ telling Kravitz about it. Difficult, too, because most of the science that Lup spends her time studying either didn't exist or was just starting up when Kravitz was alive. But it's somehow a good conversation anyway, and Taako jumps a little when the timer goes off to take his food out of the oven. It had been three quarters of an hour already?

"That looks incredible," Kravitz says as he pulls his beautiful golden-brown quiche from the oven and sets it on the countertop, craning his neck a little to look over curiously. Taako preens somewhat at the compliment, but makes sure Kravitz can't see him smiling.

"I told ya, Casper - fuckin'. Baller. Chef. Tastes great, too, shame I can't show you the best meal you've ever had in your life." He stops midway through shaking the dish to check it's cooked through, frowns into the middle distance. "Death. Existence?"

"Existence seems like a good catch-all," Kravitz agrees with a soft chuckle. "It is a shame, yes. But I'll take your word for it."

"Damn right."

And so he should. It's a really fucking good quiche. Taako cuts himself a generous slice and sits on top of the counter with it and a fresh-ground coffee. Chairs are for nerds. He also doesn't know how he'd feel about sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with his resident freezy boy; he still can't quite decide whether they're friends or not now, and it's weirding him out. Usually people come to him if they wanna be friends, just kind of attach themselves and end up with a place in his life, like Magnus and Merle and Angus had. This doesn't feel like that. He doesn't quite know what the difference is, though, other than the fact that Kravitz - surprisingly - isn't as much of a headache as any of those three. Magnus is aggressively friendly, Merle is... _Merle_ , and Angus is still just a kid, everything else considered. Sonehow Kravitz isn't so high-maintenance to hang with, other than the steady stream of questions about all the new technology and how it works. Speaking of which. 

"C'mon, then," Taako says airily as he finishes his lunch, rinses off his plate and sets it to dry on the rack. Kravitz glances up at him and blinks.

"Hm?"

Wearily, Taako rolls his eyes. "I promised you a game, remember? Let's go, I don't got all day," he says, snapping his fingers as he breezes out of the room, and isn't disappointed in listening out for footsteps following along behind.

He settles himself on one end of the couch, and Kravitz tentatively takes the other, expression curious and open. "So how does this work?"

"It's on the TV, just gotta get everything ready to uh, to rumble," Taako explains absently, glancing around for the remote. It's on the arm of the sofa next to where Kravitz is sitting, and he shuffles a little closer to reach over and grab it. As he leans over, though, he senses the body underneath him go tense, and when he glances towards him, Kravitz is staring steadfastly off to the side, seemingly trying his best not to disappear as he bounces between semi-transparent and back again. Taako mentally pouts a little. If Kravitz is that repelled by him he should just say so, not try to escape into the ether when he gets too close. Still, he only allows himself a small huff as he retrieves the remote, turns on the TV and then goes to grab a couple of controllers as well. If his fancy ghost doesn't think he's attractive, it makes no odds to him. Only a slight snub to his pride as an undoubtedly gorgeous person, really. There's no accounting for taste.

Kravitz receives the controller with a murmured thanks, but holds it a little awkwardly until Taako sits down with his own and he can look over to imitate his grip. It's still such a strange image to see a be-suited century-old ghost holding a game controller, but Taako has always been a fan of things being a little weird. Not in a 'normal-people-scare-me' kinda way, but for the fact that it keeps things interesting. A little chaos and dash of spontaneity keeps things fun. Fun like teaching a pre-digital-era ghost how to play a video game.

He maneuvers through the menus to the character select and then casually leans back into the seat, waving vaguely at the screen. "Basically you pick a character to play as and fight everyone else."

"The-- Fight? Why?"

"It's just how the game works, Casper. It's fun, trust me." He waves his hand towards the screen again, impatient. "Just take your pick out of any of 'em, they all do different stuff."

Kravitz glances from him to the TV and back, brow creased. "But I don't - which one should I choose?"

"Doesn't matter, just whichever you think looks good."

"We-- Uh, well, how do I do that, then?"

Taako rolls his eyes, but yeah, okay, the guy hadn't even seen a TV in action the day before, let alone have absolutely any knowledge on how to operate or even understand a video game.

This might take a while.

"Move that stick around until that little blue circle is over the picture you want, then hit the button on the right."

"This--?"

"No, that one."

"The - ' _A_ '?"

"Yup."

"So, just--" Gingerly, Kravitz pushes the control stick around for a moment, moving it by agonising degrees across the roster, then, to Taako's absolute surprise, picks Charizard. Taako shoots a curious look across the sofa.

"Why'd you pick that one?"

Suddenly looking very concerned, Kravitz glances over at him. "Should I have chosen something else?" he asks. Taako suppresses a snort.

"Just didn't think you'd go for the dragon."

"Well, it - a dragon should be stronger than everything else, right?" Kravitz says, now even more concerned, and Taako can't help but giggle to himself.

"You'd think so, wouldn't you. But I'm gonna have the princess here kick your dragon into the stratosphere," he smirks, locking in Peach. Kravitz gives him a bemused smile.

"It sounds like you've got that twisted."

"I absolutely do not, my friend. This ain't rock paper scissors, it's about how well you play," Taako asserts. "Now, crash course - when you hit the buttons, it makes your character do stuff, aim is to hit each other hard enough to knock the other person out or off the stage." He starts pointing to various buttons on Kravitz's controller. "So that's jump, that's your basic attack, special attack, uh, grab, block - honestly, it's easier if you just hit stuff and figure out what works."

"Why are they even fighting?"

"Hell if I know. S'just the game. Maybe there's some kinda thirty-way blood feud, I dunno. Maybe it's video game fight club."

"It just seems needlessly violent," Kravitz says with a slight frown. Taako raises a brow at him.

"Guess you'd know a thing or two about that, huh Casper?"

Kravitz almost vanishes again, briefly, and his controller takes a swiftly-caught dive towards the floor. "Ah, right," he says as he fiddles with the sticks, guilt written all over his face just like the day before. "Sorry, uh, again. For all of that."

"Hey, pretty sure we can, uh, y'know - lay that to rest, right?" Taako jokes. Wait, maybe that was a bad time to go for a goof. Man, is he _ever_ bad at this being nice thing.

But Kravitz just laughs. "Put it six feet under?" he asks with a hint of a smile, and Taako beams at him. Good thing this guy seems to think he's funny and not just a douche.

"Now you're getting it, ghost boy! Embrace those puns!" he grins, shoving at Kravitz's shoulder. Oh, was that too much? Maybe that was too much. But no, Kravitz is laughing again. Boy, this is stressful.

"It's good material, might as well take advantage of it."

"Glad you're having fun," Taako snorts. "Anyway, let's get this show on the road."

He messes around with the settings a little and picks an easy stage to start, no hazards to hit or edges to fall off of. Then he leans back in his seat and gestures for Kravitz to go ahead. "Just play with it for a bit, I'll wait. Let you figure it out first."

Kravitz dutifully taps at a few of the buttons, but doesn't seem to really be getting the moving around part down. Taako flaps a hand for his attention and lifts his controller as an example.

"You gotta use the sticks, too. Here, see what I'm doing?" He jumps around a little and smacks at some of the scenery, letting Kravitz lean over to watch his hands. After a moment, Kravitz turns to his own controller and performs the same movements, glancing between the buttons and the screen with a slight frown. He seems to be getting the hang of it, though.

"Cool, you got it," Taako smiles, pleased with himself. He should be a teacher for a living, this is _easy_. "Okay, I'm gonna hit you - _game-you_ ," he adds quickly when Kravitz turns sharply to look at him.

"The - game-me?"

Taako gives a small snort and points at the screen. "Your character, in the game. Y'know, the dragon?"

"Oh. Okay."

"Just to get started. I hit you, you hit me back. Just to get a feel for it, yeah?"

Kravitz nods and turns back to the screen, and Taako quickly runs up to smack him with the strongest hit he has. Kravitz's character goes flying across the screen - but more importantly, the moment the vibration kicks in he jumps and drops the controller to the floor with a startled squeak. It's fucking adorable, especially when he immediately snatches it back up and cradles it in his hands like an injured bird. "Sorry, I - I wasn't expecting - I didn't mean to--" He worriedly offers the controller back Taako's way. "It's not damaged, is it?"

Taako snickers and pushes the controller back towards him. "It's fine, Casper, it's seen worse."

Kravitz takes the controller back, but he still looks a little wary of it. "If you say so."

Oh, right - there's something Taako can do. "I can turn that off if it scares you," he offers. Now he's _nailing_ the nice thing. Perfect ten on that one, hell yes. Being considerate and shit. But Kravitz quickly shakes his head.

"Oh, no, that's alright."

Man, and Taako'd thought he'd had that one. "You sure?"

"Yes, it's - it just surprised me, really," Kravitz insists, but turns away after Taako has given an indifferent shrug and frowns down at the controller in his hands. "Why does everything have to  _shake_ now?" he mutters under his breath.

Taako doesn't laugh. That would be mean.

...Doesn't laugh much.

Still, once they're over those initial speedbumps, things don't go too badly. Kravitz seems a little bewildered at first by the abstractness of the characters and the sheer amount of activity happening on the screen at once sometimes, but some light (using the word _very_ loosely) coaching and a few bare-bones levels mean he gets the basics down without too much trouble. After that, he actually picks up the rest alarmingly quickly. Each loss is followed by a request to play again and a slight improvement, all that quiet intensity turned towards the game, and before long Taako is actually having to work for his victories instead of just breezing through them.

"Shit, you picked this up fast," he huffs after another scarily narrow win. He flicks over the victory screen to start another round, knowing that he'll probably be asked for one anyway.

"It's just like anything else, right?" Kravitz says absently, taking advantage of the lull in gameplay to start examining the controller, tracing along the seams in the casing and rotating it around. He waves his hand between it and the screen like he's trying to break an invisible string, frowning a little, which - right, wireless remotes are a completely new one on him, too. "You just keep trying until you improve."

"I mean, sure, but I don't think most people get better that fast."

The corner of Kravitz's mouth twitches up as he glances over. "I'm a quick study. And you can't discount the value of a good teacher."

"We're all aboard the compliment train today, huh?" Taako comments, a little bemused.

"Oh, well, I can - I can stop?" Kravitz says, looking suddenly unsure. He turns his gaze back to the controller and fiddles with the buttons, repeatedly locking and unlocking his character choice. He'd started playing Kirby by default now, because of course he had. Apparently he thought it was cute. "Just thought I might make up for all the, uh, all the insults."

"Well in that case, you can keep goin'," Taako smirks, thinking that sounds like a pretty sweet arrangement to have, "You've got a long way to go yet, though, my man."

Kravitz fixes him with a strange look, one that Taako can't quite read. "I'll keep that in mind."

"Good, I'm expecting to be _showered_ in praise, ghost boy," Taako declares, to the answering tune of a soft chuckle. He doesn't know what's so funny, he means it.

The conversation falls by the wayside as the new round starts up. They've been playing for a while now, but it's still fun, so why stop? Not like either of them have anything better to do.

It's a few more games before Taako finds himself staring blankly at the victory screen. But not _his_ victory screen. Instead, he's faced with a screen declaring player two to be the winner.

How the _fuck_?

There's silence for a moment, then Kravitz points towards the TV. "That means I won, correct?"

Taako shrugs and quickly moves on to the next screen, but Kravitz won't be deterred. He leans forward to try to catch his gaze, insistent.

"I did, I won!"

"Only 'cause I let you," Taako grumbles. It's one game to like, thirty, not like it's that big of a deal. Was bound to happen _eventually_.

"Oh, I think someone's tryna sell me a dog! Admit it, I beat ya, fair an' square," Kravitz grins, that fucking distracting beautiful thing. Taako huffs and turns away.

"Fine, whatever, you won one game!"

Kravitz's grin widens in triumph. "I jus' thought it'd take longer, seein' as it's your game an' a--"

He suddenly freezes, words dying before they hit the air, then lifts a hand to his mouth and looks away, sitting back straight in his seat with a cough. "Um, never - never mind, my apologies, that wasn't very gracious of me," he says stiffly. "Thank you for teaching me how to play, it was fun."

Taako studies him for a second. There's that accent whiplash again. He'd already put together that one of them was probably more native than the other, at least, but now it's pretty clear that the way Kravitz usually speaks is actually some kind of performance. And he's... embarrassed about it? It's not like the Cockney is hard on the ears. Okay, yeah, maybe normally Taako might make a goof or two on the topic, but only for the sake of goofing. And he's being nice today. So... no goofs. Serious Taako.

"The, uh, the Cockney is the real one, right?" he tries carefully. "You don't have to - to cover it up or whatever. I'm not gonna rag on you."

Kravitz fiddles with a button on his waistcoat. "I, um. I don't know what you're referring to."

"Oh, c'mon, Casper," Taako presses, leaning into his space. "We both know you're full of shit. 'Fess up."

There's silence for a moment while Kravitz watches him intently, brows drawn together and teeth worrying at his bottom lip. Then he turns his face away. "Fine," he sighs, and there's definitely a lot more lilt to his voice than there was before. "I suppose I do kind of jump between 'em at will, don' I?"

"Yuh-huh," Taako says flatly as he leans back. "So? What's the deal, you think I'm gonna make fun of you or somethin'?"

"No, just--" Kravitz shifts in his seat, looking more than a little uncomfortable. "People make assumptions. 'Bout my heritage, my intelligence."

"Just 'cause of your accent?"

Kravitz winces slightly, scratching at his face. "Not just that, but..." He shrugs a little. "People tend to treat you better when they think you're from a respectable background."

He says ' _respectable_ ' in a tone that Taako can practically see the air quotes around, and curiosity pushes him onwards. "And you're not?"

A small smile plays over Kravitz's mouth. "Whitechapel was, uh, not a particularly _reputable_  place when I was growin' up. Maybe it's better now, but it was a horribly destitute area, and then there were a lot of, uh - workin' girls, if you get my meaning, and some of the stories that went around after all the--" He waves a hand in the air as if to dismiss the rest of the statement.

"All the what?" Taako frowns.

"The murders, the--" Kravitz flaps his hand again, a little impatient. "' _Don't stay out after dark or the Ripper will catch you_ ,' all of that. I suppose it's probably not such common knowledge any more. Completely sensationalized, most of it, but that kinda thing sticks."

Taako takes a moment to process Kravitz's rushed and vague explanation, then leans forward a little and squints at him. "Wait, Ripper, like - Jack the Ripper? Seriously? Spooky serial killer guy?"

Kravitz gives a small snort, seeming mildly amused by that. "Oh, wonderful, that _is_ still around, then," he says with a sardonic chuckle. He turns his attention towards his controller instead with a small shrug, avoiding Taako's eyes. "Point is I never made a habit of tellin' people where I was from, or giving them any clues."

"You told me and Angus," Taako points out. 

"That was... a slip I didn't mean to make," Kravitz admits, looking pained. "It's - it wasn't somethin' I enjoyed, pretending all the time - I had my pride, but... it's easier to get places when you don't get laughed out of the room for openin' your mouth." He flicks at one of the sticks on the controller, eyes distant. "You can try to look and act the part all you want, but if you sound like you're from the gutter, that's how people'll treat you."

There's quiet while they both get lost in their own thoughts. It's not an unrelatable feeling, Taako thinks, hiding certain elements of yourself to make things easier. He always keeps his and Lup's childhood to himself unless he absolutely has to spill - Magnus and Merle and Barry and a few other people know, but even then it's mainly because they've known them for so long, and because Lup's more forthcoming about that kind of thing than he is. He clears his throat and nudges Kravitz's leg with his foot. "You got some My Fair Lady shit goin' on there, huh?"

Kravitz regards him carefully. "Some what?"

"It's uh, it's a movie," Taako explains. "Guy picks up a girl off the street an' teaches her to talk all fancy. Same accent as you, even, the Oliver Twist bullshit."

"Do you mean Pygmalion?" Kravitz asks, frowning slightly now.

"Pig _what_? Nah, I'm pretty sure it's - it's definitely--" Taako picks up his phone so he can pull up the wikipedia article to back him up, but ends up stopped before he can reach the plot synopsis. "Based on... oh. Guess it's the same thing. Huh." He locks the phone and flips it onto the seat cushion. "Anyway, I don't give a shit. You should talk however you want, my guy, I'm not gonna say shit."

Kravitz gives an awkward laugh and rubs at his neck. "It's, uh -  it's pretty much a permanent habit at this point, but thanks. 'Preciate the sentiment," he says with a small smile.

"I mean, it's kinda nice, to be honest with ya," Taako shrugs. "Doesn't sound so uptight, y'know?"

"It's awful, isn't it? All that affectation," Kravitz chuckles, a derisive tilt to the sound. "Bunch of high society toffs struttin' about sounding like someone's shoved their canes somewhere unpleasant, yet they're the ones callin' everyone else ridiculous." He sighs and leans foward to rest his chin on his hand. "But it was what it was, I suppose. Doubt things are still the same. Even here, it was - was different."

"Yeah, I'm thinkin' most people wouldn't laugh at you for an accent, my man. Most people I know, anyway." Taako muses. "Still, if you've been doin' it this long you'd think you'd be better at it," he observes idly, hoping the jab might stop the guy stewing and get another smile out of him, and he isn't let down.

"You try keepin' up a fake accent the whole blessed day, see how it plays out for you. It's not as simple as it sounds," Kravitz says, a laugh brightening his features. "'Specially when some stranger's running around your house throwing salt at you."

"I bet I could," Taako asserts with unmitigated confidence. Kravitz's eyebrows lift a little even as the corner of his mouth twitches up, and he levels Taako with an appraising look, setting his controller on the table before leaning back into the sofa cushions with a contemplative humming noise.

"Alright, let's - sure, let's hear it, then. Start now, see how long you can go before you slip up."

Taako scoffs. "Challenge accepted, ghost boy," he says, because _he's_ not a coward, unlike some people. "Name the accent."

Kravitz watches him with poorly-concealed amusement for a few seconds before replying, "Try mine."

"Which one?" Taako quips, but Kravitz just smiles at him and shrugs.

"Your choice."

Taako doesn't even take a second to decide. He goes for the Cockney. Obviously.

Taako has no idea what he's doing.

"Awright, guv, where's - where's my--" Oh, this is _bad_ , "My fuckin' - fish and chips, then? I reckon - reckon--" He can't help but let out a snort as Kravitz's strained expression cracks into bright laughter. Yeah, okay, it's not a  _great_ impression, but he's _trying_ \- "Oi, stop laughin', you - you cheeky blighter!" Fuck, that was Australian. Shit. Maybe he should quit while he's ahead. Kravitz seems to think this is hilarious, though, so maybe it's not a total loss. He looks to be trying his best not to laugh too hard, but he's not doing a very good job of it.

"Sorry, you just--" He starts, then breaks off into more laughter. "Oh, sweet mercy, you sound _ridiculous_."

"I don't know what you're talkin' about, I sound totally spiffin'!" Taako declares. (He does know exactly how bad this is, but he's committed to the bit now, no turning back. And he's kinda enjoying the audience response.)

"No, you - that's awful and I'm begging you to stop," Kravitz says, throwing him a meaningful look through his continuing bursts of laughter. Taako lifts a hand to his chest, scandalized.

"Wot, I ain't convincin'?"

" _No,_ " Kravitz manages, having succeeded in reining himself in to just the occasional hiccup even though he's obviously just barely holding it together. "Not in the slightest."

"Well, I coulda kept that up all night if your delicate ears hadn't got so offended," Taako huffs, dropping the stupid accent. So maybe he's not a world-class actor or whatever, so sue him.

"It doesn't matter how long you can do it for if it's not convincing, I'm afraid," Kravitz smiles. Maybe it's edging towards a smirk. "Unless that's actually what you think I sound like, in which case you might want to get _your_ ears cleaned."

"Nah, you sound way nicer than that," Taako says, and then stops and blinks a few times. He hadn't meant to say that. He'd meant to give a backhanded compliment in his usual fashion - can't be seen being _too_ friendly. Except that had slipped out instead. Weird.

Kravitz doesn't make a big deal out of it though, just smiles and thanks him politely. Like a goddamn gentleman.

Taako's kinda curious about that, actually. How did someone from an apparently destitute area on the other side of a goddamn ocean end up here, in a nice house, wearing a fancy suit andsomehow stuck haunting the place without even knowing he was dead? Boy, does that sound like it'd be a hell of a story. But, Taako gets the feeling he's pushed far enough for the moment. Doesn't wanna make things awkward again when they've only just started getting out of that weird space. Not like he can't follow up later.

So they just keep playing for a while. Kravitz's accent doesn't change all that much, but it takes on a more fluid mix of the two halves than before, mostly formal with a few dropped consonants and colourful turns of phrase here and there, and he seems to relax a little. The atmosphere turns more natural and easy, and Taako feels like a wall has come down between them, one of many they seem to be slowly dismantling. It's a careful and tentative process - probably a strange feeling for them both not to be at each other's throats all the time - but some hopeful part of him can't help but think it's going to be worth it. It's worth a try, anyway.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! I was actually supposed to be staying around whitechapel a couple of weekends ago, but our plans fell through and I ended up staying on the other side of the city, didn't get a chance to look around :'( Seemed lovely from the bus window though and I'm back there next weekend so maybe I'll check it out then for research :3c
> 
> For Taako's attempt at the cockney, think of the weird oliver twist london one justin does sometimes on mbmbam. That's what I was picturing lol
> 
> Also, I've mentioned this on my other au but updates will likely be slow for a while bc of workload reasons, turns out writing two long form stories and working up to graduating uni at the same time is uhhh A Lot Of Work


	10. A New Day (Evening)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> JUST MORE BONDING YOU GUYS IDK WHAT TO TELL YOU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey it's 1am and I'm Deceased but I really wanted to get this out today so pls excuse any typos or weirdness tysm and enjoy

 

It's a little while longer before they finally get bored - or at least, Taako does - and he switches off the TV and sets his controller down on the table. It's already dark outside, and although that doesn't mean much with it only just being past the deepest stretch of winter, they have been playing for a fair few hours. And, they did make a deal the previous evening.

"Right," Taako announces, stretching back in his seat with the muffled cracking of realigning vertebrae. "Your turn, my dude. Now you're teachin'."

Kravitz, who'd been all but twiddling his thumbs waiting for Taako to take the lead, it seems, stands from his seat and smooths out his clothes. Weird, the idea of retaining clothes into the afterlife, Taako thinks as he watches him refasten his suit jacket. Shouldn't he just be naked? (He pulls back from that thought like snatching his fingers away from a hot stove - not a road to be going down.) Like, clothes aren't a part of you, why would they die with you? Unless this whole physical form thing is just down to how Kravitz wants it to look. Would explain why he's so annoyingly--

Fuck, he's zoned out again. Staying on task isn't always his strongest skill, but this is getting ridiculous. He's ended up just kind of staring, but fortunately Kravitz doesn't seem to have noticed.

"Oh, right," he's saying, "Lemme just - I have a deck of cards round here somewhere, just gotta, um, remember where I put them..." He starts towards one corner of the room and then stops, starts to turn the other way and stops again, lifting his hand to bite at his nail.

"I, uh, might be a tick or two," he says after a moment, turning back to Taako again with an apologetic smile. "Do you, um - we can play in here or in the kitchen, just - it's only that the table in there might be better to play on."

"Kitchen's good, I need dinner," Taako replies, rising to his feet as well and heading out of the room. "I'll get cookin' while you get lookin'."

' _A tick or two_ ' turns out to be a good ten minutes or so, more than enough time for Taako to whip up a quick quesadilla and be sliding it onto a plate by the time Kravitz finally returns. Taako's decided to keep some of the quiche for himself and foist the rest off onto someone else - maybe the neighbours? He's used to cooking for two or more people, not just him and some guy without a corporeal stomach, and he doesn't like the idea of things going to waste - hates it, in fact. Call it a pet peeve.

"You get lost?" he asks as he sits down at the table opposite Kravitz and immediately tucks in. He hadn't realised quite how late it had gotten or how hungry he was.

"Ah - well, it's a big house," Kravitz explains amicably. "Lots of drawers to look in. Been a while since I've had cause to use these, as well," he adds, tipping the deck into his hand and quickly sifting through them to check they're all there. Taako watches as he eats, chewing mindlessly even though anyone else would probably have their jaw on the floor right now. He's long-since stopped being impressed by his own cooking.

Though, obviously everybody else should be. That's just common sense. It's a real shame he can't show off even a little, here.

The cards, as far as Taako can see them, are worn and faded, but seem well-loved. He finds himself wondering just how old they are, whether they're something left over from one of the people Kravitz chased off or whether they belonged to him before he died. Did he sit at this same table on his own, playing solitaire or something, through all those years here? Taako had been going nuts after only a week or so alone here, he can't imagine a century. And like, he can _leave_.

And before that century, too - did he have someone to play with then, or was it only ever him in this grand, empty house? That doesn't seem right. There had to have been other people here at some point, surely. Maybe this guy had a sister that moved out on him, too.

Fuck, Taako is just _itching_ to pry, just a little. What's a guy gotta do for a little voluntarily-given information? A lap dance?

Nope. Nope, that's weird. Super weird, Taako. Boy, his brain sure is taking him on a goddamn ride today.

"Were these yours?" he blurts, trying to steer away from the weirder directions his mind is straying in. Kravitz stops sifting to blink over at him.

"Were they...?" he asks with a small frown. "They _are_ mine."

Taako rolls his fork in the air, exasperated. "Okay, but - were they yours from before you went all spooky or did someone leave 'em here?"

"Oh." Kravitz looks down at the cards with a thoughtful expression. "I, uh, I don't know. S'been a long time. They're old, at least," he says mildly. Then he tuts and pushes the cards back together, muttering, "Oh hell, I lost - shit..."

He finishes counting for a second time as Taako clears off his plate and pushes it aside, and nods to himself, seeming satisfied with the result. Then he starts to shuffle the deck with deft movements, cutting and recombining the cards quickly and splitting them into two piles, which he arches in his fingers so they spring together into an alternating stack. It's like watching a card shark at work in a casino, Taako thinks absently as he watches, chin in his hands.

"You're pretty good at that, huh?" he comments, maybe just a little impressed. Kravitz's hands still in their movements for a fraction of a second.

"I learnt from my father," he says simply, before finishing up the shuffling and starting to deal the cards out into even piles.

"Cool, uh - cool," Taako mumbles, suddenly feeling the need to study the table. "That's nice, that you, uh, had some bonding shit. S'cool."

Kravitz glances up at him briefly, hands slowing although they don't stop moving completely. "You didn't?"

So they're gonna open that whole can of worms. Reluctantly, Taako shakes his head. "Nope. Pretty - pretty much an orphan over here."

"Oh." Kravitz carefully sets the remaining cards down on the table between them and neatens the dealt piles before gently sliding one over to Taako. "Sorry, I didn't mean to bring up a sore subject."

"S'fine," Taako says with a shrug, leaning back in his seat with his arms folded. "Don't really give a shit."

"Could I ask what happened?" Kravitz asks tentatively. "You don't - clearly you don't have to answer, but..."

Taako sucks at his teeth. "They just left," he says flatly. "Don't know much more than that."

"Oh," Kravitz murmurs, and quietly picks up his own pile of cards from the table, frowning down at them as he fans them out. "I... knew someone who had the same thing happen. My dad disappeared, too. It's awful, I'm sorry."

"Yeah, well. Been a long time," Taako mutters, grabbing his pile and following suit. "An' also, like, fuck 'em, right?"

Kravitz snorts a little. "Fair call."

The conversation settles into silence, and Taako sighs. Talking about stupid parent bullshit is not what he'd expected to be doing here. Better get this show back on the road. He kicks Kravitz's foot under the table. "So? You gonna teach me how to play this shit or what?"

Kravitz jumps slightly at the contact, but relaxes pretty quick afterwards and smiles. "Right, of course," he says, seeming as relieved at the change of subject as Taako is. "I figured we'd start with rummy, seein' as you're a novice an' all. S'easy enough to get your 'ead round."

Taako snickers to himself at the new level of broad Cockney Kravitz seems to be breaking out. Makes it that much more obvious how much he was toning it down before. "What's that, your Cockney card-game-playin' voice?"

"Rules say you've gotta talk like this to play the game," Kravitz says, deadly serious. But, it only takes a second of Taako squinting at him for him to crack and snort a laugh. "Alright, fine. I just wanted to see if you'd believe me, but I suppose there's no flies on you, are there?"

"I know you're ancient, my dude, but ol' Taako wasn't born yesterday," Taako scoffs. Like he'd ever fall for something that obvious.

"Clearly," Kravitz smiles, then looks back to his cards, adjusting their order here and there. "Anyway, s'really simple, you've just gotta make groups of three or four usin' the cards in your hand. First person to get rid of all their cards wins - straightforward, right?"

"Sure." Taako glances at his own cards absently. "We usually go for pool when we wanna hustle people, cards'll be a new one to try."

"We?" Kravitz asks curiously.

"Me 'n' Lup," Taako explains. "My sister, she was here the other day? Annoyed the shit out of you at dinner."

"Sister?" Kravitz cocks his head a little, watching him intently, and Taako finds himself bracing up.

"Yeah, _sister_. Y'know, looks exactly like me?" he says in a warning tone, fully ready to pick a fight if he has to. But to his suprise, Kravitz just breaks into a warm smile.

"Oh, yes, I remember. You're identical twins?"

Taako watches him a second longer before relaxing back into his seat, satisfied. "A higher power saw fit to bless the world with two of these beautiful faces," he says airily, pressing a hand to his chest and wiping an invisible tear from his eye with the other. Then he pins Kravitz with a hard look and a pointed finger. "But make no mistake, ch'boy's the prettier one. No contest."

"Seems a little odd if you're identical, but I think I can see it," Kravitz chuckles. He drops the compliment so casually Taako almost doesn't catch it, and when he does it throws him off-balance for a second. Fuck, this is weird. Kravitz being nice and complimenting him without batting an eye is  _weird_.

 _Kinda nice though_ , a part of him thinks, and he swats the thought away. Nope. That's not happening. He clears his throat and waves his fanned cards in the air. "So, the - how does - how's this shit work, then? What groups?"

"Oh, right." Kravitz perks up a little, seeming pretty eager to get going himself. "Well, ace is low, you can make spreads of a kind or in a run, and if you already have one down you can add another card from your hand to--"

Taako makes a point of flagging the guy down before he speeds ahead any further. "Uh, hang on, a kind or - what?"

Kravitz pauses and flashes an abashed smile. "Oh, sorry - so, uh, if you had a group of all threes or jacks in different suits it's a group of a kind, and if you had say, nine, ten, jack, queen in the same suit, that'd be a run," he explains, slower this time. "Does - does that make sense?"

"Uh, sure," Taako replies cautiously. That question probably would have featured at least a hint of condescension from someone else's mouth, and yet somehow this guy asks it with genuine care. 

"Well, I can - just as an example, here." Kravitz reaches over and very gently tips Taako's cards down so he can see them. "So, this hand, you've got one spread already -" he taps three cards of the same suit that form a numbered series - "so you can remove it from your hand if you want, and then you've got two fours, so you could keep those and try for another four, or discard one if you think another group is more likely." He sits back and reaches out for the stack in the centre of the table. "There's a system for which spreads are worth more than others, but I wasn't gonna faff around with it. House rules to start. I won't even make you put any money on it," he adds with a smile. Taako huffs and pushes his own cards back across the table.

"I thought you said this was simple."

Kravitz laughs, and gathers up the cards to reshuffle them and deal them two new hands. "It is simple, once you start playing. Easier to just start and figure it out as you go, right?"

"Right," Taako says, and hopes for the sake of his pride that that's true.

It actually is pretty easy, after they've gotten through a round or two. The basic principle of the game isn't all that hard, and in theory the whole thing is largely luck - except try as he fucking might Taako can't seem to win. And as the evening stretches on, he doesn't seem to be getting any closer, either. Every time he thinks he might finish his hand, Kravitz suddenly has every card out, to the point where Taako is, understandably, a little frustrated.

He is not, for the record, a sore loser. He was just born to be a winner. Even if that means he has to bend the rules a smidge.

Except two more games go by and he still can't fucking win. Which means there's something screwy here, and he's gonna figure out what. He starts to pay a little more attention to his opponent's moves, and before long he's squinting in suspicion as Kravitz lays down a spread of three fives from his hand. Quickly, he reaches out and snatches the cards off the table so he can properly fan them out - and as expected, finds four cards in total: three fives and one nine.

"I knew it! You're fucking cheating!" he accuses, indignant. Kravitz hides his smirk behind his remaining cards. It's not particularly successful given that he doesn't have many left.

"Surprised it took you this long to notice."

"Such a jerk, pickin' on a beginner like that," Taako grumbles, tossing the offending pile back onto the table. "I thought you were supposed to be all proper 'n' shit."

"You made an assumption," Kravitz snorts, then tilts his head a little and gives Taako an appraising look that carries a spark of humour at the corners of his eyes. "Besides, I was only levelling the playing field. I think someone else was cheating first, weren't they?"

Taako scoffs. "That's slander."

Kravitz leans over and lifts a card from one of Taako's own spreads to expose the one hidden underneath with a smile. "Not if it's true."

Heat pricking at the highs of his cheeks, Taako resorts to bluster. "Well, sue me! You're too good at this, I was never gonna win at that rate!"

"Go a bit easier on yourself, you were getting there," Kravitz chuckles, though there's a smugness in it that has Taako shooting him a glare. He only shrugs a little in response. "I've been playing this much, much longer than you."

"Or I'm just a far better teacher than you," Taako sniffs, folding his arms and leaning back in his seat. The corners of Kravitz's mouth flick up in that flash of a smile which is quickly becoming familiar as he reaches out to gather up the cards and start shuffling again.

"That too," he replies easily, and Taako gets the irritating feeling that he's being thrown a bone here. Asshole. Probably thinks he's being nice or whatever. "But if you promise to stop cheating, I can teach you some tricks to..."

Kravitz pauses in his reshuffling and smiles softly as Taako stifles a yawn. "Ah. It is late, isn't it?" he murmurs, tapping the cards back together and going to slide them back into their box. "I'm sorry for keeping you up, you should get some rest."

Taako squashes the beginnings of another yawn, rolling his eyes. "Who are you, my dad? I set my own bedtime, homes."

"I'm old enough to be your dad," Kravitz points out, carefully folding the box shut. "Several times over, in fact."

"Oh, fuck - hey, congrats, Casper," Taako says, mock-surprise salting his tone, "You successfully made that weird."

Wincing, Kravitz ducks his head slightly. "Sorry. Haven't exactly been in a position to practise my social etiquette," he mumbles, shooting Taako an apologetic look. Taako quickly buries the tiniest flutter of guilt.

"Well, at least you're tryin'," he mutters through another yawn. That is a point, though, the parent thing. Guy's not wearing a ring, but that doesn't necessarily rule anything out. He meets Kravitz's eyes again, curious. "Were you, though? A dad? You got descendants out there somewhere?"

A sudden chill fills the room as Kravitz's gaze drops back to his cards, expression subdued. "I, um. Not that I know of," he says quietly. Then, even softer. "Wasn't really, uh... able."

Taako fights down a wince of his own. "Oh. Sorry."

Kravitz just shrugs and smiles ever so slightly, though there's a glimmer of something pained underneath the expression. "Doesn't really make any difference now, does it?"

"No, guess not." Taako taps a finger on the table and worries at his lip. "...Seems, uh, seems kinda like a shame, though. You've, uh, you got sort of - bit a soft spot for kids, huh?"

"S'pose you could say that," Kravitz murmurs, soft enough that he might have been saying it to himself. "Not like I've been around any in a while."

There's quiet for a moment. Taako starts to think that might be the end of the conversation, and that maybe he should move on to a little less personal a topic, but then Kravitz speaks quietly towards the table. "Which is why I feel especially terrible about scaring Angus so much. I would very much appreciate it if you could apologise to him for me," he says, turning the box of cards between his fingers.

"You can apologise yourself, he'll be here at some point," Taako scoffs. "Can't get rid of the little twerp."

Kravitz presses his lips into a hard line, brow furrowed. "I don't know if that's really a first-class idea."

"Oh, _psh_ \- the kid's tough, he'll be over it in a second," Taako assures, waving a hand. "Kids in general are pretty tough, you underestimate 'em."

"Oh, it's not that," Kravitz says, looking up at him with eyes that are plain and open. "I just think they shouldn't have to be."

Taako gives him a questioning look, and he smiles a little before turning his attention back to the box in his hands. "It's not - I wouldn't say I grew up badly, but circumstances could've been better. You learn the ins and outs of things pretty quickly in a situation like that. Being able to act like a child was... it was a luxury I didn't often have time for." He continues to toy with the cards, spinning the box in an absent motion. "It's not something I'd wish on someone else, growin' up that fast. And children have so little control over their lives, the easier and - and safer we can make things for them, and the more agency we can give, the better, don't you think?" he asks, looking over at him again.

In the following silence, Taako watches him carefully. He seems... pretty sincere about that. And it's not like he's got any way of knowing about Taako and Lup's rough childhood past the whole parents thing, so he's not just saying it for brownie points. Taako hates it when people get all bleeding heart over that shit, one of the reasons he doesn't talk about it. That, and the more unpleasant of the memories it dredges up.

"Yeah, I guess that's true. Would've been nice for me 'n' Lup at least," he mumbles, mostly to himself, before realising what it is he's said and promptly shutting the fuck up. His chair scrapes against the floor as he stands up suddenly. This isn't a conversation he wants to have. "I'm gonna go to bed after all, what're you gonna do?"

Kravitz shrugs a little, thankfully not commenting on Taako's sudden emotional U-turn and simply offering a small smile. "I'll find something."

"Well, you can use the TV if you want, long as it's not too loud. Or even, uh--" Taako snaps his fingers suddenly. "Oh, fuck yeah - hey, just - hang on a second."

He dashes away upstairs to grab his laptop and its bag and returns with an excitable grin, dumping the computer on the table while he goes to plug the cable into an outlet. Kravitz watches in that intently curious way of his that Taako is quickly growing used to, but for once doesn't interrupt to ask any questions.

"Here, I'll show you how to use this, and then you can ask google all those questions you've been goin' on with instead of pesterin' me all the time," Taako says as he pulls the laptop towards him and turns it on. Kravitz finally breaks and opens his mouth, but Taako's ready for it.

"What's--?"

"You'll see in a second, just - listen first," he tells him, cutting him off, and Kravitz goes back to just watching again, obligingly hushed.

Once the device is booted up, Taako loads up google and turns the screen towards Kravitz, pushing the whole thing over to him and moving around the table to look over his shoulder. "So you push these buttons to put the text in, like--"

Kravitz is already nodding before he can finish. "Yeah, I - I understand the principle. It's, um, s'like a typewriter, but there's uh - this, instead of paper," he says, motioning at the open webpage.

"That's the screen," Taako explains. "It's just like, light and glass, really. And this does a whole lot more than just type - I'll show you, watch."

He pulls the computer back towards him and gives his knuckles an ostentatious crack before putting his hands to use and typing in... something. Anything. Fuck, every time. He glances around for inspiration, and then grins and punches in ' _casper ghost_ ' before swinging the screen back towards Kravitz, triumphant. Kravitz leans in to scan the screen for a moment before frowning at it.

"That's why you've been calling me that? It looks nothing like me."

"Well, yeah," Taako snickers. Show a guy a worldwide network of information and he gets hung up on a dumb joke. "But you gotta admit callin' you Casper the friendly ghost was a bit of, uh - of a fuckin' - misnomer."

"Suppose I can't really argue with that," Kravitz concedes with a small laugh. Feels weird that he's finally in on the joke now, but - not a bad weird? Like Taako's finally getting some appreciation for it, or something. More feelings he's not quite sure how to tackle, so he moves on.

"Anyway, you shove any word in there, or like, questions and whatever, chances are there's probably an answer somewhere," he says, clicking back to the homepage just for the sake of clarity. That actually seems to catch Kravitz's attention.

"You can look up anything?"

"Pretty much."

"Even me?" Kravitz asks, and Taako snorts to himself. Of course, the first thing anyone ever wants to do is look for themselves. People never change.

"Yeah, if we shoved your full name in there," he says with a shrug. "Can't guarantee there'd be anything though, or that it'd be about you rather than someone else with the same name."

Kravitz watches the screen for a moment before turning his eyes back to Taako. "What about you?"

"Put my name in there and you'll get a billion articles about what a fantastic chef I am, babes," Taako purrs, preening maybe just a little. But it's not like he's really lying - he  _is_ fantastic, and there is at least one article about him. 

"A billion?" Kravitz asks, raising a skeptical eyebrow. Taako pouts slightly. Busted.

"So maybe that's a _slight_ exaggeration," he admits begrudgingly, "But you can probably get a billion results about something, for sure."

That, Kravitz seems to believe. He gestures a tentative hand towards the computer. "Can I? If - if you wouldn't mind, of course."

"Sure, go for it," Taako says, pushing it over. Kravitz lifts his hands and holds them above the keyboard for a second before dropping them again with a short sigh through his nose, frowning. 

"...I don't know what to look for," he huffs, and directs his frown Taako's way. "You said _anything?_ "

"As long as you're not looking up tent porn, yeah," Taako says, giggling a little. Kravitz gives him a blank look that's edging just a little towards concern, and his giggle turns into a snort. "Never - never mind. Just pick something at random, yeah?"

Kravitz turns back to the screen and frowns at it harder. After a few more stops and starts, he finally puts his fingers to the keys and types in ' _London._ ' - capital letter, period and all. Guy's really stuck on the grammar thing.

"So now you just hit enter," Taako prompts. "The new line one."

"I don't - which?"

"Big one on the right," Taako says, pointing.

"Oh," Kravitz murmurs, tapping the key. "Used to be a lever. I guess it's..." He wrinkles his nose and pushes a hand through his hair. "I don't really understand how this works, but then I suppose I don't particularly need to, do I? Just to use it."

"Well, that's why I thought this'd help," Taako shrugs. "If you wanna know how stuff works you can ask this thing instead of me."

Kravitz gives him a quizzical look. "You act like it's an oracle."

"Close enough. I mean, look at this, huh? All of these are separate pages with different info on 'em." Taako leans over to commandeer the trackpad and start scrolling through the entries, and Kravitz watches on with increasing interest.

"That... is a lot of information."

"Exactly," Taako nods. Then he stops and grimaces. "Although, uh - maybe don't believe all of it. Don't - just like, stay out of yahoo answers."

Kravitz blinks at him. "Why?"

Taako sets a guiding hand on Kravitz's shoulder, then quickly snatches it back again. Right, freezy boy. "Sometimes," he asserts, shaking away the chill from his fingers, "You look into the deep dark soul of humanity, and the only conclusion you can draw is that there's no hope for any of us."

Kravitz looks up at him for a second longer before inclining his head in agreement. "Yeah, that's fair," he deadpans. After a moment, he points back at the screen and waves a finger. "Can you - are there pictures of this, too? When you looked up the other one it had pictures."

"Oh hell yeah, there's pictures," Taako grins. "You can even walk around, too - just click on it, here." He points to the images button at the top, and Kravitz obediently moves his hand to the trackpad, but then lifts it away again as the cursor starts leaping around the screen in a jittery zig-zag.

"I'm um, guessing that's not how it's supposed to move," he says with a small, uncertain smile.

"Right, the ghost thing," Taako muses. Somehow that had slipped his mind. "I guess it only works for uh, corporeal hands." He moves away to start rummaging through his bag. "But y'know, I think I got uh, got a mouse here somewhere, hang on a sec."

"You brought mice in here?" Kravitz asks, sounding horrified. Taako pauses in his search and turns back to shoot him a dirty look for the cheap joke, but realises once he actually gets a look at the guy's face that _holy shit that was a genuine question_.

"Fuck, I cannot believe you just said that without meaning to make a terrible joke, that's so good," he titters. Then, his brain actually does him a solid for once, providing him with the best idea he's had all day. He fixes Kravitz with his most convincing inquisitive look. "Hey, you ever heard of updog?"

Kravitz tilts his head slightly, completely oblivious of the fact that he's about to make Taako's year and possibly also his life. "No, I'm not familiar."

"You're - you're asking me what updog is?" Taako asks, barely containing his grin. Kravitz nods, _delightfully_ earnest.

"Yes, what's updog?" he asks.

Taako  _loses_  it.

"I CANNOT BELIEVE I GOT TO USE THAT ON AN ACTUAL LITERAL PERSON HOLY SHIT THIS IS THE BEST DAY OF MY LIFE," he cackles, clapping his hands in sheer glee as he bounces around the table in fits.

"That's... funny?" Kravitz asks, looking ten different kinds of bewildered. "But - what is updog? Is it something embarrassing, is that why you wanted me to say it?"

" _Holy shit you said it again,_ " Taako wheezes. "Fuck, Casper, you're killin' me, that's so good."

"I, um, I have to say I'm not following you," comes the hesitant reply. Taako goes to wipe his eyes, but fuck, he never thought he'd ever get to pull that joke off and he's enjoying himself. Not even _Angus_ fell for that one.

"Okay the - because you say - it's like - _'what's up, dog?'_ but you - god, and with that _accent_ \--"

He manages to pull himself together enough to see the uncomfortable look he's being given - a smile that doesn't quite reach the eyes and a confused frown sitting above it. Kinda puts a damper on the whole goof. He takes a couple of deep breaths and the laughter dies pretty quickly. Wasn't all that funny to begin with, really, now that he thinks about it.

"Y'know, it's - doesn't matter. Dumb joke." He sniffs and clears his throat, feeling a little idiotic now. Being the only one laughing isn't so great. Usually he has Lup to back him up. So, moving on.

"Anyway,  _this_  is a mouse," he says, pulling out a wireless setup from his bag and plugging the receiver in.

"Why's it called that? It doesn't look like a mouse."

"Fucking - this is why I'm giving you access to fuckin' google," Taako sighs, and wiggles the mouse to check it works before stepping back with a flourish. "C'mon, then. You gonna try it out or what?"

Picking up where they left off, Kravitz takes ahold of the mouse - which thankfully works this time - and moves the cursor over to where Taako had pointed before. Taako pre-empts the next inevitable question by leaning across to push his finger down on the button himself, and the screen fills with dozens of variations of the same skyline. For a long time, Kravitz just looks at them all.

"That's London?" he manages eventually. "The buildings are so tall, it looks... it looks like another city. Something from the future." He leans back from the screen, a slightly forlorn look moving across his features. "I guess it is," he murmurs, gaze drifting even further away as he folds his arms across himself. "I always... I thought I might go back someday, maybe. But, life got in the way. And then death, I suppose."

Taako chews his lip as he studies his face, the way the aching sits so plainly on it. He's never really experienced homesickness. He doesn't really get it. The closest he ever gets to that is missing Lup, which was never a real problem until recently. But, just because he can't relate doesn't mean he can't sympathise, right?

"A lot of the old shit's still there, next to the new stuff," he offers. "Big ben 'n' all that. You could look up the whole history of the city and find out what's still around, if you wanted. Or you can - we can try somethin' else if, uh, if you wanna do that instead."

"No, I - this is fine," Kravitz says quietly, shaking his head half in disagreement and half like he's trying to banish a bad dream. He sits up and jerks his chin towards the screen again. "Is that a map, there?"

"Oh, yeah." Taako reaches over again to open it up for him. "There's - there's a whole bunch of cameras up in space, now, and they take pictures of everything and stuff. Whole world's mapped out on there."

"Cameras? In - what?"

Taako flaps a hand. "Another time - here."

He moves over to the maps section and briefly demonstrates the navigation before handing back over. Immediately, though not without fumbles, Kravitz zeroes in on one particular area to the east side of the city, and pans around it slowly, frowning. His lips move ever so slightly as he traces the lines of streets with a finger held just far back enough from the screen to not turn the display to static. Taako watches over his shoulder, curious. It seems like a nice enough area, he can see markers for art galleries and restaurants and-- 

" _O_ _h shit_ , there's a cat café?" he exclaims, leaning forward onto Kravitz's shoulder and immediately leaping back once again because _how does he keep forgetting about the freezer burn_. Kravitz turns to him in surprise.

"A - a  _what_?"

Taako sees another prime opportunity to mess with the guy here, and doesn't let it go to waste. "Oh, yeah, I should probably mention that cats run everything now, right? I don't know how long ago that whole y'know, _uprising_ happened."

Kravitz eyes him for a moment before carefully pronouncing, "Bull." He looks unimpressed, but Taako just giggles at him.

"Yeah, but I had you for a second there, huh?" he teases. Kravitz snorts and turns away, so Taako hops up onto the table next to the computer. "A cat café is for people, anyway, they just have a whole bunch of cats in there that you can pet 'n' stuff while you eat."

"That doesn't sound sanitary," Kravitz remarks, and Taako rolls his eyes.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I forgot y'all were worried about catching the plague from some sweet little kitty-cats."

He's met with a slight grimace. "Don't even joke about that."

"What? Not like you can catch it now," Taako snickers, earning himself a glare. He only makes a face and kicks the leg of Kravitz's chair. "Hey, that reminds me, you wanna see one of my favourite things to do on here?"

Kravitz offers him a gesture that pretty accurately conveys ' _be my guest_ ,' and Taako slides off the table so he can jump over to youtube and click the first of a million cat videos that pop up on the feed. Kravitz watches for all of a few seconds before snorting and shaking his head.

"This is silly. Is this what people do for fun now? Watch animals make fools of themselves?"

Taako fixes him with the most deathly serious look he has in his arsenal. "Cat videos are the magnum opus of humanity, Casper. This is the furthest we go," he says, and clicks on the next one while Kravitz is busy tamping down an abrupt burst of laughter.

This time, Taako makes sure to up the ante. This video has kittens in it. And he turns up the sound to hit the guy with the full force of their tiny meeping noises. Something's gotta give.

He grins as a soft "oh" escapes Kravitz's mouth before he covers it with a hand. Fucking success. Taako gives him a pointed look, and he laughs a little.

"Alright, this is - I think I'm starting to see the appeal, now."

"Told ya," Taako chirps, sing-song. "Nobody can resist this, not even dead guys."

He clicks on the next video.

They stay like that for a few minutes, laughing at compilations of misguided leaps and oddball expressions and going soft-eyed over the cuter ones. There are a few more appearances of that bright but controlled laughter that Taako can't help but grin at before Kravitz suddenly sits up a little straighter and points at the screen, at a black cat with a white tuxedo pattern that's skittering after a laser pointer across a hardwood floor.

"I had a cat," he says. "Her name was Matilda. She looked like this one."

"I'm more of a 'queen fuzzykins' kinda guy, myself, but that's cute I guess," Taako jokes, and Kravitz chuckles softly.

"I didn't name her."

"Who did?"

Kravitz's smile vanishes as swiftly as a cloud covers the sun. "...Someone long-dead," he says quietly, eyes fixed on the screen.

Somehow, Taako feels like he needs to fix this. Even though it's absolutely not his fault. "Y'know, if you, uh - if you like cats, I was thinkin' about getting one," he hazards, hoping that might cheer the guy up a little. He's not good at the whole comforting thing. Usually when Lup's feeling down he'll just bake her something sweet and full of chocolate and open some wine, maybe extend the courtesy to some of the other members of his motley crew of friends if he's feeling generous, but that's not really on the table here.

"Well, that's - that's up to you, but I should probably warn you that animals don't particularly like me much any more. Cats especially. Sorry," Kravitz says, offering the slightest suggestion of an awkward smile. Taako heaves a sigh.

"Guess you'll have to do, then."

"I'm a person, not a pet," Kravitz grumbles, a warning in his voice. "Don't push your luck."

Taako nods quickly. Yeah, that's fair. A person's a person no matter how dead, right?

"Right, my bad, my bad. Shouldn't take you bein' so nice for granted, huh?" He pauses for a second, chews his lip and adds, "Really, you're a good dude. Glad we got past all that, uh--" He waves a hand.

"Unpleasantness?" Kravitz supplies.

"Yeah, uh - sure, that. Way nicer bein' on your good side, I'm really prefering this _'being friends'_ thing."

Kravitz's eyes linger on him for a moment, wide like Taako's said something surprising, before he looks away and cracks a smile that reaches every corner of his features. "Well, thank you. It's not so bad a situation for me, either," he says, looking like someone's just told him candlenights is coming twice this year.

Taako takes his cue to ollie the fuck out. Ghost boy seems to have cheered up, and that conversation was edging a little close to 'uncomfortably sincere' territory. "'Kay, I'm gonna lock up and go to bed," he declares, breezy as a goddamn spring morning. "I'll leave that with you, just close it up when you're done."

"Yes, um, thank you," Kravitz says with a small nod as Taako leans over and returns the page to google. "I very much appreciate it."

Taako shrugs and leans against the back of the chair next to him. "It's whatever. Sooner you get up to date the sooner you stop askin' me a million questions a minute."

"Well, uh - still. It's generous of you to let me use it." Kravitz picks up the box of cards from the table and turns it in his hands. "And for what it's worth, I found today, uh - well, it was - it was fun. I had a lovely time. So thank you for that as well," he adds with a quiet smile.

"S'fine," Taako mumbles, eyes drifting over to the laptop screen. "Long as you know I'm gonna kick your ass next time."

Kravitz gives a soft laugh. "I'm sure."

They remain like that for slightly too long a time, not moving. After a moment, Taako shifts uncomfortably -  _not_ awkwardly, thank you very much - and taps his fingers along the back of the chair.

"So... night."

Kravitz nods and smiles. "Goodnight. Oh - here." He flicks a hand in the direction of the front door. "Don't worry about locking up, it's done. And I can take care of the dishes, gives me something to do."

"Convenient," Taako muses as he heads away towards the stairs. "Night, then."

"Sleep well," are the words that trail behind him out of the door, fluttering around his ears like a pair of persistent moths until he finally smothers them with his pillow.

 

-*-

 

Kravitz is still there at the table in the morning when Taako comes downstairs, seeming to have fallen down the Wikipedia rabbit hole and ended up pages into some article about deep sea sponges. He glances up as Taako enters and blinks a few times in surprise. "Oh. Is - is it morning?"

"Yeah, homes," Taako snickers, noting the dirty dishes still sitting where he'd left them with more amusement than anything else. "You find anything fun?"

"There's just - there's so much..." Kravitz gestures vaguely and a little helplessly towards the computer.

"Stuff?" Taako provides. Kravitz drops his hands and nods, a little exasperated.

"Yeah."

"Well, you've got time to get through it all, huh?"

"I suppose so. I, uh, I think I have more than enough to process for now though, thank you for lending me this, um, machine of yours," Kravitz says, pushing back from the table.

"No problem," Taako yawns, then turns to trudge over to the counter. "Hachi machi, I need coffee."

Kravitz is already on his way past him before he can go more than a few steps. "Let - let me get it. As um, y'know, a return favour."

"Sure." Taako shrugs and goes to sit at the table instead. "No objections here."

This setup is convenient, actually. As Kravitz moves away into the kitchen proper, Taako turns the computer towards him and opens up the search history on the browser, quickly glancing over just to check the guy is fully occupied. Not like he'd know Taako can do this anyway. As expected, the list shows a whole series of vaguely linked Wikipedia articles, but before that...

He scrolls back to the first search, the one for London, and then forward to the point where he'd left the room. There's only one entry of real note between the cat videos and the articles, and it just reads " _Kravitz_." Nothing else. Kinda disappointing. Weird, too - there's gotta be more interesting stuff to look up than one part of your name. Is Kravitz his first or last name, anyway? Maybe he only has the one, wants to be Cher or something. Or whatever his equivalent of Cher was.

Taako is about to investigate further, but then Kravitz is making his way back over, mug in hand, and he quickly closes the tab and then the computer. Despite himself, he does feel a little guilty for snooping, but the guy's just so vague and avoidant about everything. It's true that Taako's not been particularly forthcoming himself, but he shares when asked. He thinks he's owed a little sated curiosity.

"Here. Three sugars, right?" Kravitz asks, offering the mug. Taako takes it feeling more sheepish than ever, almost dropping it when his fingers grasp the handle, which is ice-cold. Fortunately it doesn't seem to have spread to the rest of the mug, and the drink is perfectly hot as well as being sweetened exactly how he likes it. Now he feels especially shitty.

"Yeah, thanks," he mumbles into the cup. Why's the guy gotta be so nice? Makes pulling any of his usual tricks a chore. Easier to act like a shit when you get shit back, not so much when you've got somebody looking out for your sleep schedule and making you coffee. It's just plain unfair.

He wanders over to the window with the mug as the sound of water running into the sink starts up behind him. Outside, the ground and surrounding houses are still suffocated with snow, but traffic seems to be moving past just about as usual. City must've got around to clearing the roads sometime while he hadn't been paying attention. Guess he'll have to go to work today, he thinks. Which is fine; he likes his job. A day off once in a while is nice, but this business is his brand - his baby, really. Weird way to think about it, but he built the place from the ground up. He _loves_ his restaurant.

So he isn't exactly sure why going back to it today has him feeling so disappointed.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This 3-chapters-long chapter is finally done with now, whew. Next one is onto something else, and not set in the same day for a change! Also will hopefully not take a month and a half, but... y'know. Life.
> 
> As I mentioned last chapter, things are gonna continue to be slow for a while bc I'm in deadline/graduation hell, so thanks in advance for your patience!


	11. Networking, Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Making a reintroduction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Obligatory note about how long this took* ENJOY

 

Taako starts waking up to the sound of a piano.

After a day or two, he stops bothering to set an alarm himself. There's no point; he's never woken at the wrong time, and it's a shame to interrupt such skilled playing with a repetitive buzzer or xylophone riff. Taako might not know much about Kravitz, but he can at least say that the guy sure as shit knows his way around a piano.

A week goes by, and he never misses a day or a note (that Taako can tell), never plays the same song twice. In fact, his repertoire seems to be an eclectic mix of dozens of pieces that range from more classical tunes to what Taako guesses is some kind of ragtime, and still others that he thinks could be jazz - he doesn't really know much about music either, come to think of it.

Whatever it is, he'll start up just before Taako needs to be awake and functioning and continue until he starts to stumble down the stairs, at which point he'll move into the kitchen and make a coffee to hand to him as he comes in.

Taako can't figure out whether it's something he does out of kindness or boredom, but it becomes a familiar routine faster than he would've expected. It's not even something they'd discussed, the guy just... did it. Asked once if Taako found it "tiresome," Taako said he didn't, and that was that. He even unpacked all of Taako's moving boxes that were still sat around waiting for him to get around to them - something that probably would've taken him months on his own, if he's being honest with himself. Kravitz didn't unpack it all _right,_ there were definitely a few things that ended up upside-down or several feet from where they should be, but Taako can't blame him for being bored out of his mind and wanting to neaten things up a little - get rid of the "eyesores," as he called them. It wasn't like he hadn't asked first, anyway.

And, all that aside... it's kind of, well, _nice_ , being greeted with a soft smile and a kind word when he comes home. As much as he loves Lup - not a word he uses often, but if there's one person in the world he'd use it for, it's her - she's never been the type for that kind of thing, and neither is he, so the experience is both new and... oddly pleasant. Taako starts to look forward to coming home more for that than for being able to collapse across a sofa.

And it's nice having somebody to talk to, in a house that big. Taako is surprised at the amount they talk, actually; they seem to end up in the same room more often than not, just talking about - well, random crap, mostly. And Taako spends a lot of time explaining shit, for sure, but he also finds himself talking about _personal_ matters, of all things. Which isn't something he normally goes for, but Kravitz is just, weirdly easy to talk to in a way Taako doesn't normally find outside of Lup. He's an attentive listener, laughs in all the right places and sympathises where needed, too, and information Taako had never even told Magnus or Merle (who, yeah, are actually two of his oldest friends, despite being boner squad captain and deputy) is often out of his mouth before he realises what he's saying. He just can't seem to keep his guard up.

It's strange, but it's not like he doesn't get any information in return. He gets to know the house - which light switches and locks are temperamental, the discoloured sections of wallpaper, the places where the windows leak and those few boards on the stairs where the grain runs in the wrong direction - and, he gets to know Kravitz. He finds out that the sound of planes passing low overhead makes him nervous because he had never known what it was, that the first time he'd heard it he'd thought the world was ending, that he has a tendency to talk to himself to fill the silence when he thinks he's alone, that one time a family with a kid and two dogs had moved in and the way the child had cried as its parents fled the house with it had haunted him for years. The dogs had refused to even pass the threshold.

But he never talks about _before_ that, before the hundred years alone. Sometimes, but still rarely, he mentions something that happened in the world, or how people used to approach things, or something like that, but as soon as the topic turns to his own life he only provides the barest scraps of information before clamming up and changing the subject. It's frustrating, especially when Taako has ended up sharing so much of his own life; he could at least be afforded the same level of trust he's found himself stumbling into. It's an unfamiliar situation for him, being at a disadvantage when it comes to personal information, and he's quickly discovering that he is one- _hundo_ -percent not a fan. But he doesn't know how to even the scales without forcing them, and despite how things might have started, he realises over the course of their conversations that he does _like_ Kravitz, and he doesn't want to lose him as a friend by pressing him for information he clearly doesn't want to give. 

God, actually working for your friendships is _hard_. Taako hasn't ever worried about upsetting any of his other hangers-on. They mostly just turn up whenever and take what they get.

Mostly. He's been known to extend an invitation once in a while. Like today.

He opens the door to the bright-eyed visage of Angus McDonald at precisely midday, because the kid is nothing if not insufferably punctual. In actual fact, he'd probably arrived ten minutes ago or more and only just knocked. He is looking a little frosty around the ears and nose.

"'Sup, D'jangus," Taako greets, as dispassionate and flat as he can manage. "You're late."

"No I'm not," Angus replies in a tone of voice that sits just about at the farthest end of the spectrum from Taako's. "You might need to check your watch, sir, because I'm right on time!"

Taako snorts. "Only nerds wear watches, Ango. The rest of us arrive fashionably late to show everyone else how little of a shit we give."

"Well, I happen to give a shit, sir, so I guess I'll be arriving on time for - f-for a real long time! Probably forever!" Angus shoots back, chirpy as ever. Taako's gotta give him credit for starting out well there, even if the ending fell a little flat, but he still rolls his eyes.

"Enough with the ' _sir_ 's _,_ kid, I've told you. Thought you were supposed to be smart," he huffs.

"I am smart, but I'm also polite!" Angus grins, then shivers slightly and sniffs back the beginnings of a snot trail that's starting to run from his nose. "So, did you need something, sir? Or did you just call me over because you wanted to see me?" he asks, looking up at Taako expectantly.

"See _you_? Right," Taako scoffs, and scratches at his jaw. "Nah, I ordered this, uh, this movie, online, and they sent me the wrong one. Ended up with some shitty used Caleb Cleveland flick, so y'know, guess you can have it, seein' as you like those so much," he explains, pulling a DVD box from behind his back and handing it over without fanfare. Angus, however, receives it like Taako just handed him the whole world.

"This is _The Stolen Century_!" he squeaks, eyes wide and boring a hole in the cover. "It's so hard to find, how did you get it?"

"I told you, there was a mix-up," Taako says, shrugging impassively. "Probably fell out of a box or somethin', who knows?"

 _Somebody_ might know that he'd been checking the local second-hand stores during his lunch break for the only installment of the series Angus didn't have - something about it being an original story not based on the novels and a limited run - for months, making requests for it to be put aside if one ever appeared. Somebody, but definitely nobody important or likely to rat him out.

"Thank you, sir!" Angus beams, absolutely delighted. So maybe this had been worth the effort. Lucretia is good to the kid, Taako knows that, but she's still a busy woman and he also knows Angus ends up having to entertain himself a lot. Which is something he seems reasonably happy with usually, but there's an unspoken agreement between their group of friends to make sure that someone spends some time with him at least a couple of times a week. It's good for Angus, who's a little isolated given that he's homeschooled, and good for Taako, too, although he'd never admit that out loud. He's gotta maintain the pretense that the kid's a thorn in his side to keep his rep where he wants it, even if it's a thorn that he's grown increasingly attached to.

"Listen kid, either I gave it to you or I'd have to go to the trouble of sendin' it back, so don't thank me. You're doin' me a favour takin' it off my hands," he insists. Angus smiles knowingly and holds the box to his chest.

"Alright, sir. Can we watch it right now?"

Taako squints at the kid. "You don't have any homework you should be doing?"

"Nope! All done," Angus says brightly, shaking his head and stopping quickly when his glasses almost fly off his nose. Taako groans theatrically and slumps against the doorframe.

"Well, I guess I don't have an excuse to kick you out, then," he sighs, and Angus slams into him for a surprisingly strong hug - maybe his feeding the kid up is finally paying off - before moving past him into the house. A few steps in, though, he stops suddenly to look back at him.

"Oh, right. Is Mister Kravitz still here?" he asks. "Have you seen him since last week, or did he um, y'know - move on?"

Taako shuts the door with a small shrug. "Nah, he's still - he's around here somewhere, but he's chill, don't worry about him. We're buds now." He smiles and walks over to clap the boy on the back. "C'mon and help me make some popcorn. I bought peanuts by accident, so you're gonna have to use 'em up for me, y'know ch'boy can't eat those."

"Are we making the maple peanut popcorn?" Angus asks, trailing along behind him like a puppy in a sweater vest.

"Hell yeah," Taako confirms, but then stops and turns back to the kid with raised eyebrows. "Wait, you're not allergic too, are you? I don't want Lucy after my head for poisoning her boy."

Angus just smiles at him. "You know maple and peanut is my favourite, sir."

"Is it?" Taako shoves open the door to the kitchen and lets it swing back on a collision course with Angus' face. "Well shit, son, guess it's your lucky day, huh?"

He has Angus chop up the peanuts - carefully, he needs Lucretia on his ass for dismembered fingers about as much as he needs allergy-induced hives - and provides a healthy dose of syrupy sauce to stir through it. Before long they're settled in the living room with a bowlful of sticky popcorn and a soda each - but, something's missing. Someone, more like, who seems to be deliberately hiding if the telltale prickles Taako's been feeling on his neck since Angus arrived are any indication. He drapes an arm over the back of the sofa, addressing the room at large.

"Krav, you gonna join in on this? I can't see you havin' anything better to do."

Kravitz appears in the doorway, lingering awkwardly at the threshold. Almost like he's been standing there for the last few minutes. "Well, I - i-is that alright?" he stutters, "I wouldn't want to intrude."

Taako gives him a quizzical look; he already knows he doesn't have to fake that accent around him - but, he supposes Angus might be a different story. Still, he waves him over. "Nah, my man, get in here. What are you, some kinda vampire, waitin' for me to invite you in?"

"Just being polite," Kravitz says quietly as he makes his way into the room and perches on the far end of the sofa from where Taako and Angus are sitting. "Um, hello, Angus. I'm glad to see you're doing well."

Angus brightens immediately and turns towards him, setting the popcorn down on the table. "Hello, sir! I see you and Taako are on good terms now," he says, and Kravitz smiles ever so slightly and nods.

"Ah, yes - thanks to you, I believe."

"Actually, I think I only made things take longer," Angus admits, awkwardly adjusting his glasses. "Taako probably would've started yelling at you a lot sooner if not for me."

Kravitz smiles again, soft and with good humour. "Well, I think if he'd led with that it probably wouldn't have ended well," he says. Taako shoots him a dry look over Angus' curls, recalling a ridiculous number of smashed plates and a thoroughly destroyed dinner, and he ducks his head slightly. "Or, worse, anyway," he amends quickly. He turns back to Angus with a cautious look. "In any case, you're very astute for one so young, Angus, thank you for being patient with me."

"That's alright," Angus smiles. "I didn't want Mister Taako--"

"Just Taako, kid. C'mon, you were doin' good for a minute there."

"I didn't want _Taako_ ," Angus corrects, "To have to move again, and you seemed like you needed some help."

Kravitz scratches at his cheek. "I suppose that's true. Most people wouldn't have looked hard enough to see that, though."

"You mean because of the yelling and throwing things and trying to burn people who aren't little boys with the stove?" Angus asks, completely unphased. Kravitz starts to rapidly bounce between visible and semi-transparent, as he seems to be prone to doing. Weird guy.

"Yes, that would - that would be the likely reason," he manages stiffly, then with a quick glance at Taako, folds his hands in his lap and fixes Angus with a careful look. "I actually wanted to talk to you, about - about that," he says, and Taako can tell from experience at this point that his fingers would be tapping nervously against each other if they weren't firmly clasped together. "I'm incredibly sorry if I scared you the other day. I should never have lost control like that with you in the room, it was terrible behaviour on my part."

Taako barks a laugh. "And what about the rest of us, homes?"

"The rest of you aren't children," Kravitz says flatly, shooting him a look. "Although you do act like it."

"That's rich, comin' from you," Taako snorts, and Kravitz laughs a little, a small smile playing over his lips.

"Well, no-one's perfect," he chuckles, then his smile fades and he turns back to Angus with a worried crease on his brow. "I-I do mean it, though. It was a lapse of - of control, judgement, everything. I really don't want you to be scared of me."

Angus puffs up a little - he never has liked being underestimated, and a speech like that is likely to have ruffled his ten-year-old pride. "You don't have to treat me like a little kid. It was scary, but I'll have to handle worse if I'm going to be a detective."

For a second, Kravitz just stares at the kid, but then he seems to decide that Angus really is as chill about the whole thing as he's acting, and his shoulders drop slightly in relief. "Oh, well then. A detective?" he asks, and Angus immediately sits up straighter in his seat. Taako fights back a groan. Here it comes.

"Yeah, like Caleb Cleveland!" Angus enthuses. Taako drops his head onto the back of the sofa with a sigh, but Kravitz doesn't know any better and forges ahead into Angus' Zone of Unbridled Enthusiasm.

"Those are the, um, the books you like, right? They're detective stories?"

Angus nods emphatically. "Uh-huh, he solves mysteries! Y'know, like Sherlock Holmes?" He pauses and tilts his head slightly. "You must know him, right? I'd think you'd have to remember something that popular, or at least heard of it."

Kravitz watches Angus carefully for a moment, then blinks and leans forward intently. "Sherlock... like the Conan Doyle stories? People - people still know those? They still read them?"

Angus beams. "Yeah, lots of people! They're still really famous!"

"Still?" Kravitz asks in a murmur. He sits back slightly and sets his gaze on one of the feet of the coffee table, seemingly lost in thought. "I... I used to steal people's papers so I could read those stories. I practised my reading with them." He pushes a hand into his hair and shakes his head a little. "Well, those and the rest of the paper, but..."

Taako raises an eyebrow in Kravitz's direction from where he's slowly sinking further and further into the sofa from sheer boredom. "That's some pretty heavy learnin' material, Casper."

Kravitz turns to look at him, expression mild. "Not particularly. Besides, beggars can't be choosers, right?" He makes a face and brings a hand up to bite at his nail, nose wrinkling up in that way that Taako is quickly learning not to look at for too long lest his brain start being all weird about it. "I think I had a collection of them at one point, actually, though I don't know where it is now. A lot of things went missing somewhere over the years."

"I can lend you my version if you'd like, sir. I have all four books, plus the stories, too!" Angus offers brightly.

"I'd like that very much," Kravitz says with a cautious smile, then pauses and frowns a little. "Wait, four books? I only remember three."

"Well, the fourth one came out a long time after the others," Angus explains, "so maybe you missed it."

Brow creasing further, Kravitz rubs at his arm. "I suppose I must've. I don't remember reading a fourth book."

"I'll bring it here sometime so you can read it," Angus says, sickeningly eager, "and then you can tell me if you like it! And then maybe you can read Caleb Cleveland, too! I think they're much more accessible and have a more coherent overarching narrative."

A soft smile brushes Kravitz's face at that. "That sounds lovely. Thank you, Angus, you're a very kind boy."

"Well, you're Taako's friend now, right? So that means you're my friend, too!" Angus declares. Kravitz's eyes flick over to Taako for a brief second before moving back to Angus, and his smile widens.

"Oh, well, thank you," he says, pleased as Taako has ever seen him. "I'm glad you feel as such."

Taako rouses himself from his boredom coma with a languid (and pointed) stretching of limbs. "Cool, that's real sweet 'n' stuff, now are you two nerds _done_ so we can get going on this?"

"Ah - yes, sorry." Kravitz sits up a little and looks over at him, apologetic. "I didn't mean to delay you. Were you - I'm assuming you were intending to watch a film, or - or something like that?"

"Correctamundo," Taako confirms, and waves vaguely towards the windows. "Actually, you mind getting the lights?"

"You - want me to draw the curtains?"

"Yup."

"Oh, su-- Uh, yes, of course," Kravitz says, snapping his fingers. The curtains shut themselves in a flash, leaving the room with only the dim half-light from the TV. Angus frowns and adjusts his glasses.

"Why'd you snap your fingers?" he asks, and suddenly Kravitz is functioning at fifty percent opacity again.

"Well, I - that's - well, why not?" he stumbles out, and Taako snorts loudly into his hand. Count on Angus to call a guy the fuck out. But, he has also just confirmed that ghost boy  _doesn't_ need to include the theatrics, which is fucking _wonderful_. Guy's such a fucking dork Taako can hardly believe he's real. There is a certain level of  _extra_ to whole shtick that he can definitely appreciate, though. He'd call it cute if it wasn't so ridiculous.

"Sir, are you feeling okay? Your face is kinda red," Angus whispers suddenly, leaning over in concern, and Taako sits up abruptly. Shit, did he get peanut gunk on his face? He'd really rather not have to deal with hives at all, but  _especially_ not on his face, that's the _brand_.

"Shit, I gotta go hit the bathroom, back in a sec," he blurts, and throws the remote in Angus' general direction before rushing out of the room.

It turns out he was getting worked up over nothing - Angus probably needs new glasses or something, because his face is just as pristine as ever. He splashes a little water on his cheeks for good measure (maybe they're a little warm? But definitely not breaking out) and as he reapproaches the living room, he hears bright giggling spilling from behind the door. He enters to see Angus floating a few inches off the ground, arms out for balance and beaming in delight. 

"You havin' fun there, pumpkin?" Taako smirks, leaning onto the back of the sofa. Angus looks up at him with stars in his eyes.

"Oh, yes, sir! Isn't this amazing?" he gushes. "I've _gotta_ figure out how it works, do you think maybe Barry might let me read some of his research?"

Taako shoots Kravitz a flat look. "You're a bad influence," he accuses, and Kravitz smiles a little abashedly as Angus floats gently to the floor.

"He asked if I could lift him, sorry. I should've asked if it was okay."

Taako squints at the two of them a little. They seem to have... _bonded,_ in just the couple of minutes he's been out of the room. Kravitz even seems to have dropped the accent with the kid - though knowing Angus, he'd probably figured out the cause of the weirdness almost immediately and called him on it as soon as they were alone. Freakishly observant, that kid. Still, it's nice that they're getting along.

"Do whatever you want, Casper, he's not my kid," Taako says with an indifferent shrug. "You drop him, you have to deal with Lucretia."

"I'm ten, sir, I can be held responsible for my own decisions," Angus says very seriously, folding his arms. Taako musses his hair.

"Sure you can, squirt. How about you sit your butt back down so we can start this shit, huh?"

Angus briefly sticks out his tongue and hops up on the sofa right next to Kravitz, who blinks at him in surprise. Taako snickers and drops back down on the other end of the cushions.

"What, is he your new favourite now?"

Angus clears his throat and lifts his nose into the air. "Well, Mister Kravitz doesn't call me mean names, or steal my glasses, or make fun of my interests--"

"Yeah, yeah, I get it kid," Taako interrupts, waving a hand. "Ghost boy's nicer than ol' Taako. Just remember who gives you cookies, traitor."

"Just Kravitz is fine," Kravitz says quietly, a shy smile touching his features. "You don't have to call me mister, Angus."

"He does that to everyone, don't worry about it," Taako groans, slumping further down into his seat. Maybe in a second they can move to opposite sides of the room and each start calling the kid, see which one of them he runs to.

"There's no need to be jealous, sir, I still love you," Angus smiles, somewhat smug. Little shit.

"Psh. 'Course you do, I'm lovable as hell," Taako says haughtily, then casts Kravitz a sideways look laden with suspicion. "Don't even think about stealing my boy, though."

"I wouldn't dream of it," Kravitz chuckles quietly. He seems to have relaxed by several degrees in the last few minutes, and is actually sitting comfortably into the cushions now instead of being awkwardly perched on the edge like some kind of socially anxious bird. "Besides, it seems more like your boy's tryna steal me."

Taako scoffs indignantly. "Yeah, 'cause you're such hot shit." He retrieves the remote and flicks it in the direction of the TV. "Can we start the movie already? Sooner we start the sooner I'm free of you," he huffs without a glance at the other two occupants of the sofa, and hits play.

It's an alright movie. Taako's never been into the whole convoluted mystery thing, but Angus can't get enough of the stuff, so he can sit through a couple of hours of red herrings and dramatic reveals. Angus sits enraptured from start to finish, only breaking eye contact with the screen about a half hour in, when he climbs into Kravitz's lap and proceeds to sit there for the rest of the movie, swinging his legs and smiling contentedly. Kravitz, for his part, looks quietly delighted with this, and even reaches up to tentatively ruffle Angus' hair before dropping his hand back to the arm of the sofa. It's sweet. It's really sweet, and Taako can't help but smile even though he's suddenly playing second fiddle to a ghost. He can loan his protegé for a little while, Kravitz should be able to talk to someone other than him if he wants. It being goddamn adorable is just a bonus.

After a minute or so, Kravitz catches him watching them and smiles softly before turning back to the TV, and Taako has the thought that he should go check the thermostat because the room is suddenly too warm. Way too warm. Thing must be broken.

Once the movie's done with though, things are infinitely worse. The two of them just won't shut _up_ about what their theories had been, which characters they liked and how good the twist at the end was. It's enough that Taako puts the disc back in the box himself, takes a chance on piling the remaining popcorn into a bag along with the leftover peanuts, and starts herding Angus towards the door mid-conversation. He finally gets the hint as Taako nudges him over the threshold, and turns around with a bright smile.

"Thanks for the movie, sir, I really liked it!" he says, holding the box tightly to his chest. Then he glances down at his gift with a frown. "I wonder why they never made more copies," he adds in a confused mumble. Taako fiddles with the doorhandle.

"Yeah, well. Next time I get sent some shitty rare kids' movie by accident I'll let you know."

Angus looks back up at him, wearing a smile a little too wise for his years. "I think it's unlikely that something like that would happen twice, sir. I'm surprised it happened once, actually."

"Well it did and even if it hadn't I'm pretty sure a second-rate baby detective like you wouldn't be able to figure out which anonymous benefactor provided it so buh-bye," Taako says, going to slam the door, but it halts halfway shut and won't budge any further. Taako turns to glare at Kravitz, standing behind them, but he only offers an innocent smile as he moves past him and crouches down. He beckons Angus forward without a word, and then leans forward to whisper something in his ear that makes Angus giggle to himself before ruffling the boy's hair and going to stand again with a bright smile. Except then Angus catches his arm and tugs him back down, and whispers something back, to which he quickly responds equally hushed, and Taako has to fight very, very hard not to bounce his head off the door a few times. Why did he have to put these two in contact with each other. Why did he do this to the world and more importantly himself.

After another minute or two of quiet conversation, Kravitz finally stands, and Taako feels the door loosen on its hinges. He immediately takes it upon himself to shove it unceremoniously shut, but not before dork and dorkier have exchanged a small wave, and Angus is already making his way down the porch steps with a shouted, "Goodbye, sirs!"

Taako shoots Kravitz a dirty look as he rams the bolt over, but it slides right off him as he turns, unbothered.

"More flies with honey," he smiles, and wanders away into the kitchen. Taako gags to himself, but turns and follows after him as he goes. As he enters and goes to the refrigerator so he can start planning dinner, Kravitz takes his now-customary seat at the counter and leans forward onto his forearms, heel tapping against the support bar of the chair.

"So, I don't know if you were listening, but Angus wanted to come back later in the week to show me another film he thinks I'd like," he says, his fingers drumming out a complementary rhythm on the counter. "If that's alright by you?"

Taako shrugs and throws a bundle of carrots onto the side. "Sure, my dude, go for it. Don't know why you're askin' me."

"Well, you two seem very close, and I don't want to come between you." The tempo of Kravitz's tapping increases ever so slightly. "You're the first friend I've had in a very long time. I don't wanna do anything that might jeopardise that, or make you feel ill at ease here."

For a moment, Taako pauses, unsure of exactly why a statement like that had interrupted his mental flow so thoroughly. Then he shakes himself, and a sweet potato joins the carrots on the side. "I'm not gonna get mad because you're spending time with m'boy, Casper. Kid needs more friends anyway, it's fine," he says dismissively, shutting the fridge door and moving over to the cupboard instead.

"Only if you're sure."

"It's fine, Krav, really. It's his decision anyway, not mine. If you wanna go _bond_ with the kid that's your business, not like I'm his dad or anything."

Kravitz makes a small noise of amusement, and flashes a small smile when Taako shoots him a quizzical look. "Maybe not by blood," he says by way of explanation. Taako shuts the cupboard door with a loud  _clunk_ and spins to face him.

"Uh-uh, nope, that is not what this is, no way, noooo - not - not even a _little_ ," he declares. "Kid's already got a foster parent, I'm just a babysitter. I'm like, weird uncle at _most_."

"If you say so," Kravitz smiles, and Taako huffs and turns back to the cupboard, irritated. "Thank you, anyway, for, um - for your blessing, I suppose," Kravitz continues from behind him. "Obviously you're welcome to join us."

Taako moves over to the spice rack and extracts a couple of jars. "Puh- _lease_ , it's probably another one of his Caleb flicks - the fuckin' train one, probably. Taako's good on those, seen 'em a million times. You two dorks can go have fun on your own."

"Well, the offer's there, if you want to take it."

"Nah, my man, I'm good," Taako insists. He finishes putting together his ingredients and brushes his hands off on his pants. "I'm, uh, glad you two're gettin' along."

Another soft smile moves across Kravitz's face. "He's a lovely boy. Reminds me of..."

He trails off, frowning slightly. Taako glances over and raises an eyebrow at him.

"Of?"

Kravitz blinks, and then looks away, rubbing at his jaw. "Ah, doesn't matter. It's not important."

"No, c'mon, spill," Taako presses. "Lemme guess, of you when you were his age? You wanna be a detective too?"

Kravitz snorts a little and shakes his head. "No, no," he says, and smiles to himself, picking at something on the counter. "I wanted to be a conductor. Ever since I found out what one was."

"I'm guessing from your whole piano thing you mean like a wavey-wand conductor and not like a choo-choo train conductor," Taako says, offering accompanying motions to boot.

"For music, yes," Kravitz confirms with a small laugh. Taako wanders over and leans onto the other side of the counter, curious. 

"How come?"

For a second, Kravitz chews his lip. Then he leans forward with bright eyes. "Well, they - if you consider an orchestra, you have all these bits and pieces that are beautiful on their own, but to work as part of a - a cohesive whole, they have to have someone to show them the way, to _lead_ them. A piece of thread can be appreciated in and of itself, but if you want a tapestry, it has to be woven with care, you have to have someone to put it together. I always thought--"

He stops abruptly, and leans away again, looking off to the side with an embarrassed half-smile. "Sorry, I'm - I'm going on a little much, aren't I? You probably don't want to stand here and listen to a dead man talk about outdated music."

Taako straightens, shaking off a strange wave of disappointment. "No, it's - I don't mind," he mumbles, and tries to push away the lingering memory of dark eyes shining with captivating enthusiasm by rearranging his hair. "So, uh, did you?"

Kravitz looks back at him and cocks his head slightly, confused. "Did I what?"

"Y'know, get up on stage and wave a baton around all fancy?"

Kravitz closes off as quickly as he'd opened up. "Well, it - doesn't really matter, does it? Better to leave the past where it is," he says, avoiding eye contact again.

Taako bites back a sigh. He doesn't get it. One minute Kravitz is open as a summer sky, and the next completely walled off. It's like Taako keeps accidentally tripping some switch he can't see. God, is this what talking to _him_ feels like?

Well, that's fine. He doesn't like it when other people push him, so he won't push either. Moving over to turn on the oven to preheat it, he notices a stray peanut loitering on the countertop. Must've fallen out of the bag or something while he and Angus were cooking.

"Hey, could you put that in the trash for me? I can't touch those," he says, gesturing Kravitz's attention towards it, and Kravitz perks up slightly and makes his way over.

"Oh, yeah," he says softly, and reaches past him to pick the offending legume up, but then suddenly pulls back with a yelp and a wince. "F-- Ow!"

Taako stares in disbelief. "Wh-- What? Are you - do you have a  _ghost peanut_ allergy?"

"No, I - there's salt on it," Kravitz complains, moving to the sink and swiftly sticking his fingers under a stream of cold water.

"So _neither_ of us can touch it?" Taako asks incredulously. Kravitz turns off the water and dries off his hand with a resigned shrug.

"Seems not."

For a minute, the both of them just stare at the single peanut that seems to have defeated one grown ass adult and one super-powered undead being. Taako folds his arms and taps his fingers against his shirt.

"I'm gonna go catch Angus," he announces, and turns to do just that, but Kravitz makes a noise of protest and darts after him.

"Don't you think that's - listen, I'm sure between the two of us we can handle moving one single peanut," he says, following a step or two behind. Taako turns to him with a sly smile and leans forward into his space.

"What, you don't want the kid back? I thought you two were _besties_."

Kravitz sighs and cocks an eyebrow at him. "You don't have to drag him all the way back here for something like this, really, do you?"

"For your information, that thing could kill me," Taako says with an affronted gasp, brandishing a finger at the counter. "I could _die_."

Kravitz rolls his eyes, exasperated. "Well, I can't, so--" He snatches the peanut off the counter and quickly tosses it into the trash. Then he makes a small, careful noise, and takes a step back with his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his fingers spread out tense at his side.

Taako runs his tongue over his teeth, and after a moment, clears his throat.

"...You, uh - you good?"

" _Mmn_."

"Y'know, I coulda just - just picked it up with a cloth or somethin'. Coulda done that. Either of us coulda done that."

"Tad late for that, I think."

Taako kicks a foot against the sideboard. "...You gonna wash the salt off?" he asks. Kravitz takes a measured breath and releases it again.

"It's. _Fine_."

They stand there like that for another few seconds or so, neither moving an inch, and then Taako starts snickering. Kravitz rounds on him, half-vanished and blustering.

"You're - don' fuckin' laugh!"

"You just do - you do such dumb shit!" Taako wheezes, cackling now. "How did _anyone_ find you scary?"

"Well, you tell me!" Kravitz huffs on his way back over to the sink. "You legged it the second you saw me, clearly I was doin' enough to give you a fright."

"I wouldn't've gone anywhere if I'd known you were such a goddamn _dork_ ," Taako jabs, and Kravitz pulls a face at him before turning back to his salt-stung hands. "Fuckin', you - y'know for a guy over a century old you'd think you'd be - be a little more mature," Taako says, grinning from ear to ear, and then for the second time that day there's a knock on the door. 

And, also for the second time that day, Angus McDonald is behind it.

"Hello, sir," he greets quickly, "I just realised I forgot my--" He pauses as Taako immediately dissolves into helpless giggles. "Um. Sir?"

"Hey, C-- Hey, Casper, come look who's - come see who's here," Taako manages through his laughter.

He hears a series of sounds, then. First, the sound of the kitchen door swinging open behind him; second, a very loud, very Cockney voice shouting "OH, FUCK _OFF;_ " third, a sharp bang as the door slams shut again - and then, finally, his own laughter ringing out at a much, much higher volume.

"D-did I do something wrong?" Angus asks, bewildered, but Taako waves him off and gestures him towards the living room still in fits.

"Nah, you - you just got _perfect_ timing, kiddo, absolutely perfect, now go grab your shit," he titters, and leans against the doorframe as Angus scampers past him into the house, returning a second or two later with his satchel clamped firmly in his hands.

"Um, bye sirs! Again!" he calls as he runs back outside. Taako throws a short goodbye after him. There's no response from the kitchen, however, and Taako turns to cuss out his resident ghost for being rude, but instead ends up shrieking and launching himself outside as a freezing cold, static-coated and horrifically _wet_ hand presses itself against the back of his neck.

"Fuckin' - asshole!" he shouts over his shoulder as he pulls up his collar and tries to rub the newly-formed icicles from his skin, and then it's Kravitz's turn to laugh. And Taako can't help but join in.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! Did you know I set out to keep this fic under 100k? It is not going to be under 100k. Whoops
> 
> Next chapter is some different boys!! Makin friends makin friends
> 
> And thank you for 600 kudos!! Everyone reading this is so lovely and makes this fic a joy to write <3
> 
> Edit 26/6/18: Fair warning new chapter is Super Fuckin long and will likely be late!


	12. Networking, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter: Kravitz is a spooky boy, a dog is brought into play, there are more video games, and Taako puts his whole entire foot in his big dumb mouth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I know it's been a little while, sorry. I've been having a very busy time (I've graduated and moved house since the last update among other things, oh boy!) and this chapter ended up being Real Long, like 10k+ long. So, I've split it into a double update - this chapter's summary is for next chapter too! It's all one Thing, the break is just there to give you guys a rest while reading if you need it :)
> 
> In any case, enjoy!

 

" _You're cancelling again_?"

Taako winds a strand of hair around his fingers, leaning casually against the kitchen counter as he waits for the boiler to get its shit together so he can take a bath.

"Yeah, still too dangerous, y'know?" he says with a weary sigh, piling on as much disappointment as he can manage. "Almost got brained by a vase a minute ago. Guess we'll have to skip my week and go straight to M-- Hey, Casper, give that back!" he squawks as his phone is lifted quickly out of his hand and out of his reach. 

"Please don't use me as an excuse to get out of your social engagements," Kravitz frowns, looking a little offended as he leans away to keep the phone out of Taako's grasp. "I don't want your friends to think they're unwelcome here because of me."

" _What the hell is that noise?_ " comes Magnus' shout-talking from the phone. " _Is that him? Shit, Taako, are you okay? Should I come over?_ "

Kravitz offers the phone back with a pointed raising of eyebrows, and Taako snatches it out of his hand. "It's fine, Mags, Casper's just gettin' himself all twisted up over nothin'," he mutters into the receiver, turning away, and Kravitz makes a small, aggravated noise and goes to leave the room in a huff. Taako makes a noise of his own in return, but then sighs. "But I don't need to skip my week, it's fine. It's not dangerous any more, I was just bein' a jerk." He shoots Kravitz a sour look over his shoulder. "You happy now?"

Kravitz watches him for a second, then gives a curt nod and moves over to the rack by the sink to start putting away dishes.

" _What's that supposed to mean?_ " Magnus asks from the other end of the line. Taako can practically hear him pouting.

"I wasn't talkin' to you, I was talkin' to ghost boy."

" _So you guys are okay now?_ "

"Nah, my dude, just thought I'd have you over so he can practise hitting multiple targets," Taako deadpans. (Maybe he hears a muffled snicker from behind him. Maybe it makes him smile a little. Not a big deal.) "Yes we're okay, dipshit." 

" _Good! I'm glad you worked stuff out,_ " Magnus says, way too brightly. " _Tell him hi from me._ "

"Magnus says hi," Taako says flatly in Kravitz's direction. Kravitz pauses halfway through placing a glass up onto a shelf and gives him a confused look.

"...Hi?"

"He says hi back," Taako sighs. "Are we done?"

" _Well, actually, I meant to ask if I could bring Fisher along? Jules is out of town and you know how she gets when she's alone in the house_."

Taako pinches the bridge of his nose. "Big guy, you have like, ten dogs. She's not alone."

" _But she's an old lady, Taako, the others tire her_ _out_ ," Magnus whines. " _Please?_ "

Sighing, Taako sets the phone to his collarbone and looks back over his shoulder. "Krav, how d'you feel about dogs?"

"Uh. They're good?"

"Cool." Taako brings the phone back to his ear. "Sure, fine, I'll see you tomorrow," he tells Magnus over the line, and hangs up before he can get anything in in reply.

"I think there's enough water for you to have a bath now," Kravitz offers as Taako tucks the phone back into his pocket. "I can go up and start it if you like."

For a moment, Taako just watches him, continuing to lean against the counter with his arms folded. "You - y'know you don't owe me anything, right?" he asks as Kravitz returns the last of the dishes to its place and starts straightening out the work surface. "You don't have to do all my shit for me."

"I don't mind. I like helping," Kravitz replies absently, moving a dish towel over to a peg on the wall. Taako frowns.

"But - I mean, you don't have to. You can just hang around if you want," he insists, but Kravitz shakes his head, turning slightly to give him a small smile.

"I don't much like having nothing to do. Makes me itch, feeling like I'm just existing without reason." He turns his back on Taako again as he returns to his tidying. "Ideally, I would want to go out and _do_ things, but with that off the table I might as well make myself useful, hm?"

"Well - if you're sure," Taako mumbles. "I just - you don't gotta feel like you have to earn your keep or anything. I mean we're - we're friends, not - you don't have to play host or whatever."

Kravitz finishes up his busywork and turns to face him, wearing one of his insufferably genuine smiles that Taako can't quite look at directly. "I'm sure. Makes your life easier, right?"

"Well... yeah, I guess," Taako concedes, fidgeting with his hair.

"Then that's all I need to know. I've got time to kill, so I'm... using it to help out a friend," Kravitz smiles, and brushes past him to head upstairs. Taako's shoulder tingles with residual static for a long while afterwards, whispering cold on his skin underneath his shirt.

Kravitz returns ten minutes or so later to let him know the bath's ready before wandering off to another part of the house. Taako sees him off with a mumbled thank you, and heads up to find candles lit and a mix of floral smells drifting through the air on the steam from the bath, bubbles built up into high clouds. The scene stirs up an odd pressure behind his ribs that doesn't sit right with him - he can't tell what it is or how to feel about it, so he pushes it away. Breathes it out and shakes it off. He's probably just tired.

It's nice, once he does get around to climbing into the tub. He lies back into the warm water, lets his face fall under the surface and tries to dodge the question of why he can't think about anybody else but the one person he's trying to keep out of mind.

 

 

-*-

 

 

The party arrives the next day announced by a Magnus-volume knock, but before either of them can get to the door Taako pulls Kravitz aside with a mischievous grin tugging at his mouth, because he's been thinking about some things since yesterday and has come up with a pretty _sweet_ plan.

"Hey, wanna have some fun?" he asks quietly, ignoring the two idiots waiting outside for the moment. Kravitz offers him a look he can't quite read.

"What kind of fun?"

"Well, I seem to remember someone gettin' all up in the spooky scary shenanigans when I moved in," Taako says innocently, checking his nails, then lets that grin out in full force and lifts his head. "You wanna go for a repeat performance? Mess with my boys' heads a little?"

That odd look reforms itself into a frown. "I've already told you, I don't want your friends to think they're not--"

"Trust me, they'll think it's  _hilarious_  once they realise it's a goof, it'll be roses," Taako cuts in. "So? Whaddya say?"

Kravitz watches him carefully for a moment, eyes narrowed. Taako thinks he sees the corners of his mouth twitch up. "What's in it for me?" he asks, and Taako pouts, shoulders dropping.

"What?"

"You heard me, you can't just - I'm not just gonna put on a show for nothing, so - so you've gotta sweeten the pot, here, make me an offer," Kravitz says, mischief plain in his eyes now. Taako heaves a sigh, exasperated. Of course he'd decide to leverage his help _now_.

"Well - what do you want? Not like I can cook for you or whatever. Name your price."

"Well, I'm sure I can think of--" Kravitz starts, then suddenly falls silent and turns a rather eye-straining shade of transparent, expression not dissimilar to a deer in headlights. "Of, um."

"Of?" Taako prompts, frowning. Kravitz fades out even further.

"Of. Um. N-nothing, at the current moment," he stutters. "You can owe me a favour. Just - I'll tell you when I think of something, I'll - w-why don't you just go let them in?"

"You sure?" Taako asks. Another U-turn for the ages, there. Cocky confidence to floundering mess in less than a second.

"Yep, that's - don't worry about it. For now. I'll. Later. Come back to it later," Kravitz stumbles out, and quickly goes to make for the other end of the hall as another loud knock sounds from the entrance. 

"Wait, we need a safeword," Taako whispers, snatching at his arm as he moves away. Kravitz responds with a mix of surprise and confusion.

"A-A what?"

"Just - okay, if you hear me say, uh, fuckin--" Taako flaps a hand in the air, "Updog, you cut the spooks out, get me?"

Kravitz frowns. "Can't you just tell me to stop?"

"Yeah, but like - how would you know the difference between me playin' along and actually telling you?"

"Oh, right," Kravitz murmurs. "Okay. Updog it is," he confirms with a smile, and vanishes from view. Then he immediately reappears, a finger raised in the air. "One question - can I break things?"

Taako makes an uncertain noise. "Eehh. I'm thinkin' light bulbs only."

"Understood," Kravitz says quickly, and gives Taako a grin that's maybe a little _too_ excited before blinking out entirely.

Well, Taako thinks, this is either gonna go real well, or real fuckin' badly -and then he goes to the door to let his two victims inside.

"Were you taking a shit or something?" Magnus asks as soon as he opens the door. Taako flips him off, waves the two of them past him and shuts the door behind them while they stand a little way into the hall, taking the space in.

"I was tryna make sure neither of you guys ended up needing stitches, actually, but go ahead, take my consideration for granted," he says as he moves around them again to put himself between them and the living room door.

"Why would we need stitches?" Merle asks slowly, eyes narrowed in suspicion.

"Well, y'know, the whole haunted house thing, it's like..." Taako makes a vague gesture with his hands. "Y'know how it is."

"How what is?" Magnus asks, confused. "I thought that was all dealt with."

Taako nods a few times, folding one arm across himself while the other continues to wave airily. "Mm-hm, mm-hm, yeah, see - listen, here's the thing - I know ghost guy here, he's cool, with, uh - with ch'boy, being here, that's chill, but I mean - you guys? I dunno if, uh - not one-hundo-percent certain how that one's gonna go down. So y'all might wanna just wait outside until--"

One of the entrance lights blows itself out. Taako bites his lip to keep from grinning as the other two spin sharply around in alarm.

"Well, shit," he says, covering his mouth in mock-concern, "Guess that answers our question then, huh?"

"He doesn't like us?" Magnus pouts, seeming to be feeling more disappointment than the concern that he probably should be leaning towards.

"Doesn't seem like it," Taako says mildly as frost and then ice start to blanket the nearby surfaces and the temperature takes a sharp drop towards sub-zero.

"Why not?" Magnus presses, sounding offended now.

"Hell if I know, my guy."

The lights start flashing in and out. A set of keys flies over their heads, missing Merle by a hair, and Magnus cracks his knuckles. 

"Taako, am I cool to punch your ghost?" he asks in low rumble.

"You can try," Taako scoffs. "Ghosts aren't really a thing you can usually _hit_ , Mags."

Magnus' hands flex like he might still take a go at fist-fighting an incorporeal being, but he turns to Merle in uncertainty. "Can you, like - Merle, can you do anything?" A shudder runs through the house, and a couple of magazines drop to the floor from a cabinet. "Like, _anything_?"

"I-I dunno!" Merle quavers, seeming more than a little shaken. "I didn't even bring my book with me or anything!"

Taako snorts. "Like your _extreme teen bible_ woulda done any good."

The frost starts to creep up onto the walls, forming snaking white patterns across the paper that coalesce into the same word over and over:

_LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE LEAVE_

"What the _fuck_ ," Magnus squeaks out. Taako actually lifts an eyebrow. He's honestly pretty impressed at this point - ghost boy's really pulling out all the stops here. It's a weird kinda thrill, watching a display of power like this while knowing there's no real danger; like a horror movie.

Or at least, Taako knows there's no danger. The other two aren't so lucky.

"Why's he so mad?" Magnus yells over the rattling that's rapidly growing louder and filling the air enough that most other sound is suffocated underneath it. "We haven't even done anything!"

Merle has backed up almost all the way to the door already. "Big guy, I'm thinkin' we should _go_."

"But I wanna be friends!" Magnus insists, and turns to yell at the ceiling. "Hey, ghost dude! What's your problem? We're nice!"

The text on the walls shifts and reforms - it now reads _BE QUIET_  over and over in massive letters, and more frost moves across the floor to encircle their feet, slowly urging them towards the entrance. Merle stumbles away, but Magnus continues to stand firm, albeit shakily, as ice starts to encroach onto his boots and up his legs.

"Mags, you should probably take the hint," Taako tells him, taking a moment to buff his nails on his shirt.

"But--" Magnus starts to protest, and then a knife flies out of the kitchen and buries itself in the wall, almost shaving off some of his signature sideburns on the way, and he leaps backwards with a yelp.

"Fuck! Fine, you talk to your _friend_ and figure out his goddamn problem!" he shouts, and finally turns tail to run towards the door. But the knob only rattles in his hand. "It's locked. How do you want us to leave if it's locked?" he yells, turning back to frown at the ceiling. In response, the lights start to flicker more and more wildly, and then one by one the bulbs explode into sharp arrays of glass that hang in the air above their heads as if frozen. Taako swallows. Might be time to pull the ripcord on this.

"Uh, Casper? That's--"

The glass spins in the air, glinting needles reflecting what little light remains in the hallway - and then they _drop_. Someone screams, but Taako's too busy covering his face with his arms to register who.

But, nothing ever hits. After a moment, Taako lowers his arms, just in time to see a small, neat pile of broken glass depositing itself onto the floor. Quiet laughter starts up behind him, and he releases a long, careful breath to try to get his heartrate back where it should be. What an _asshole_.

"I take it back, you don't owe me anything, that was fun," Kravitz announces brightly, appearing out of the air behind him going by Magnus and Merle's reactions. Taako turns to frown at him where he's sitting on the bottom step of the stairs, smiling like he didn't just scare the three of them to within an inch of their fucking lives.

"Why'd you stop?" he complains nonetheless, because he'd hoped to get at least _one_ of these assholes to piss their pants and they're both looking distinctly dry. "I didn't say anything!"

"Got tired, sorry," Kravitz says with a small, apologetic smile - and it's true he does look less corporeal than usual. He's noticeably transparent, for one, and flickering out around the edges. "Thought your friends might also've had enough," he adds, nodding to where Merle and Magnus are standing frozen by the door, looking a little shell-shocked. Taako turns an unimpressed look their way.

"Babies. Get some backbone, you guys."

Kravitz snickers to himself. "You _ran_."

"Tactical retreat.  _You_ fell for a dumb trick," Taako counters. Kravitz inclines his head.

"Touché."

"Also, don't think I remember saying you could use one of my _very expensive_ knives as a stage prop," Taako adds, gesturing to the blade embedded in the wall.

"Ah. Yeah. Sorry," Kravitz replies through a guilty smile, at least suitably embarrassed. "I got a bit overexcited."

"A _bit_ ," Taako scoffs, trying to pry the knife out of the wall. Kravitz pushes himself up to gently nudge him out of the way and start tugging at it himself.

"No, let me - let me get it."

Taako nudges him back. "Krav, I got it."

"No, I don't want you hurtin' yourself," Kravitz insists.

"I'm not gonna!"

Magnus clears his throat from the entrance.

"Uh. So what the fuck?" he asks, hand raised like he's addressing a teacher in class. Taako shoots him a bored look over his shoulder as he lets Kravitz move him out of the way again with a sigh.

"It was a joke, genius. Jeez, catch up."

"A _joke_!?" Merle sputters, one hand clutching his ludicrously bright and completely out of season floral shirt over his heart. "You almost _killed_ us."

"Um, you weren't in any danger, I assure you," Kravitz chimes in, having finally succeeded in pulling the knife from the wall and setting it down on the hall cabinet before retrieving the dislodged magazines as well. "If I wanted you dead you'd be long gone by now."

"Reassuring," Merle says flatly, but Magnus pats his shoulder and lifts a hand in resignation.

"Y'know what? You got us, well played."

"Easy for you to say! I'm an old man, I coulda had a heart attack!" Merle cries, brows knitted and hands in the air. He drops one to his hip and moves the other to stab a finger in Kravitz's direction. "I'da haunted _you_ , Swayze."

"Merle, c'mon, it was funny," Magnus says good-naturedly. 

"Oh, like it was funny when you used my arm to try to scare Carey and Killian and then lost it in the goddamn river?" Merle growls, waving the arm with his prosthetic attached by way of demonstration. "It's all fun and games until Merle loses an arm - no, I'm sorry,  _after_ Merle loses an arm. You two've got no respect for the elderly." He jabs a finger at Kravitz. "You should know better, too! What are you, like a hundred and fifty?"

Kravitz smiles awkwardly. "Uh. Something like that, I guess."

"You guess," Merle repeats, unimpressed. Taako stares at him and gasps in mock-affront, hand to his mouth.

" _God_ , Merle, don'cha know it's rude to ask a ghost how old he is?"

" _An-y-way_ ," Magnus interrupts loudly, midway through giving Kravitz a very obvious once-over. "So, you're the ghost, huh?" he asks, leaning to one side slightly to turn a look that screams ' _so he is cute_' on Taako, who flips him off once again. Jerk. Kravitz nods, oblivious to the glare Taako is lasering at Magnus from behind him.

"Yes, um, that would be me," he says, the fingers of one hand toying with his suit buttons in that nervous habit of his that never seems to be too far from the surface. Taako's never met anyone who bounces between smooth self-assurance and crippling awkwardness quite so fluidly. "I'm - I'm Kravitz, it's nice to meet you. Sorry about the, uh, the _knife_. I might've got a touch carried away."

Magnus shrugs off the apology as nonchalantly as he dislodges sawdust from his clothes when he's done working. "Magnus. Neat accent."

"Thanks?" Kravitz says, then turns slightly to whisper back to Taako. "That's a compliment, right?"

"Pretty much."

"Oh, yeah, it's real cool, dude, very Michael Caine," Magnus assures, smile bright. Kravitz, however, doesn't look quite convinced.

"I don't know who that is."

Magnus laughs a little. "Right. Anyway, good day, hail and well met, my good fellow, all that," he grins, extending a hand, but Kravitz just frowns at him.

"Are - are you takin' the mick?" he asks defensively. "I'm not that old."

"Nah, Krav, he's just like that," Taako says, cutting in and draping an arm over Magnus' enormous shoulder. "That's your standard Magnus greeting."

"Oh. Alright then. Sorry," Kravitz mumbles, and reaches out to shake Magnus' outstretched hand. Just like the other day, he seems reluctant to let go, and clasps his hands together in front of him when he pulls back. Taako feels a sudden spike of jealousy which he brushes under that handy-dandy rug in his brain where things he doesn't want to think about go.

"Jeepers, you're cold," Magnus hisses as he rubs his hands together and blows into them. Kravitz smiles awkwardly and moves his own hands behind his back.

"Right, sorry about that. I don't really feel it so much, so it's, uh, easy to forget." He turns his attention to Merle, curious. "And you are?"

"Merle," the old man says, extending his hand to shake as well. Kravitz seems to deliberate for a moment before deciding that shaking is the correct option, and leans down to quickly do so, but as he goes to pull away Merle holds firm, staring him dead in the eye. "What are your intentions with our boy?"

Kravitz blinks at him in bewilderment. "My - my what?"

"Are you gonna hurt him? 'Cause I gotta tell ya, I've got a god behind me and I will banish your ass if you try anything."

"Th-- No, I - I'm not planning on hurting him," Kravitz says, then drops his gaze towards his shoes. "I suppose I can see why you would think that, if Taako told you about me. But I'm past that now, I promise. No violence." He glances towards the knife on the cabinet and winces a little. "Well. Not seriously."

Merle lets out a small, dismissive snort. "I didn't mean _physically_ , kid, I  _meant--"_

Taako sets his free hand on Merle's shoulder and shoves both of his visiting assholes towards the living room. "Oh-kay, how about we get started, huh?" he declares, then brings them to a halt as abruptly as he'd set them moving. "Wait, Mags, weren't you gonna bring Fisher?"

"Oh, yeah, I left her in the car. Just wanted to scope the place out first," Magnus says, and turns to give Kravitz a flat look. "Good thing I did, huh?"

"Don't blame him, it was my idea," Taako says, waving him back towards the door. "You gonna go get her, then?"

Merle taps his arm as Magnus nods and makes his way out the door. "You got a bathroom, too? I gotta, uh, take care of somethin'."

"Did you piss yourself?" Taako gasps, delighted. Merle crosses his arms defensively, and his shoulders lift almost all the way to his ears.

"Only a little! I'm old, I don't have perfect bladder control!"

"Or you were scared shitless," Taako grins, ready to launch into some _hardcore_ ribbing, but a cold hand nudges his arm and Kravitz interrupts before he can get a word out.

"It's back there on the left," he says gently, gesturing down the hallway behind them. "I'm sure Taako will find you some clothes if you need them." He turns to give Taako a hard look. "Right?"

Taako huffs and folds his arms, unimpressed at being blocked from having a little fun in his own home, but gives a resigned shrug. Not worth the effort. "Whatever. Sure."

Kravitz shakes his head at him and sighs, but as Merle waddles away towards the bathroom and they're left alone, his expression quickly melts into a querying one. "Who's Fisher, anyway?" he asks curiously. "Another friend of yours?"

"Fisher's one of Mags' five hundred dogs," Taako explains. "She's big, but fine, don't worry."

Kravitz makes an exasperated face at him. "Taako, I - I told you animals really don't like me. They don't even like coming near this house, don't you listen at all?"

"I... forgot," Taako admits with a slight grimace. He quickly brushes the admission off, though, and offers his best showman's grin. "But it'll be _fine_ , Mags knows his dogs. Plus, maybe it'll be okay now that you're all friendly 'n' stuff."

"You'd better hope so," Kravitz grumbles under his breath as he heads over to the door and steps outside. 

Magnus is heading back up the path towards the house as they exit onto the porch. A large German shepherd with greying fur around its eyes and muzzle trots along behind, tail breezing back and forth. That is, until it comes within a ten-foot radius of the house and stops stock still, ears pricked up stiffly and quivering at the tips.

"Fisher?" Magnus asks, turning back in confusion. "What's up, girl?"

"Yeah, Mags, turns out animals? Not big fans of the undead," Taako calls across the lawn.

"That's an awful word," Kravitz mutters, nose wrinkling in disgust.

"What?"

" _Undead,_ " he grimaces, sounding like he hates the taste of the word. "It sounds... dirty."

"Right," Taako snorts. "Guess you're not like, a zombie. D'ya know zombies?"

"No, what are those?"

"Like, uh, a dead person who comes back to life, but with the meat still on. But it's like, all rotting away and shit," Taako explains, moving to lean against one of the supporting pillars next to the porch steps. Kravitz visibly shudders at the description.

"That's disgusting," he says, having moved past distaste into outright revulsion. "Dead things should stay dead."

"And what about you, bubeleh?" Taako asks with a snicker at the irony of that stance. Kravitz offers him a dry look.

"You think this is intentional? I'm not stuck here for the good of my health, you know." 

Stunned, Taako works his jaw as he prepares to fully pick apart _that_  casually-dropped bombshell, but before he can press further they're interrupted by a sharp bark. Magnus is making gentle shushing noises as he tries to coax Fisher forward, but she's steadfastly refusing, digging her metaphorical heels into the path.

"I, um, I don't know if it's good for her to be around me," Kravitz calls over to him, an apology written across his face as Fisher lets out another low whine and continues to hide behind Magnus' legs, tail low and ears pinned back. "She seems distressed, I wouldn't want to force her inside."

"Naw, Fisher used to be a police dog! She's well-trained," Magnus says brightly, ruffling the dog's ears. "She just needs to get used to you, that's all."

"If you're sure," Kravitz says, looking decidedly uncertain.

"'Course I am," Magnus assures. "And if she still doesn't warm up to you in a little while, I'll just leave her out in the back yard, that should be okay, right?" He looks between Taako and Kravitz like he's not entirely sure who he should be directing the question to.

"Fine by me if Casper's cool with it," Taako shrugs, and after a moment, Kravitz gives a small nod.

"As long as she's not the type to go digging."

"Cool." Magnus gives a hearty thumbs-up, and takes ahold of Fisher's collar again. "It's okay, girl, c'mon say hi to Kravitz. Walk," he prompts, gently leading the dog forward. Fisher continues to hold her ears firmly pointed backwards, but goes without any further protest. Magnus grins in triumph and beckons Kravitz over. "Come on over here first."

Carefully, Kravitz makes his way to exactly one step past the end of the porch stairs before stopping, and Magnus beckons again, somewhat confused. "Uh, little more," he says. Kravitz gives an awkward approximation of a laugh and scratches at his cheek.

"I, um. Can't really go any farther than this," he explains in a slightly embarrassed mumble. "Got my own leash, as it were."

"Oh. Sorry." Magnus brings the dog forward enough for them to meet in the middle and motions her to sit before turning back to Kravitz. "Here, hold out your hand and let her sniff it."

Crouching down in front of the animal, Kravitz obliges cautiously, and Fisher stretches forward a little to smell his fingers, tail twitching curiously even though she still looks ready to bolt if necessary. She pulls back with a snort at the distance where that field of static starts, and Kravitz snatches his hand away.

"That's alright, just try it again," Magnus reassures. "She probably just wasn't expecting the static."

Kravitz looks up at him, confused. "Static?"

"Yeah, you got that weird static field going, probably just gave her nose a tingle."

"Oh," Kravitz mumbles. "I didn't realise." Colour pushes towards his fingers as he extends a hand Magnus' way. "If I do that, is that better?"

Magnus reaches out to grasp his hand briefly before letting go, and Taako finds himself fidgeting uncomfortably. Why does that bug him so much?

"Uh, yeah. A little, anyway," Magnus says, and then pulls today's bandana from around his neck and proffers it. "Try this, too. She'll be more comfortable if you smell like me."

Kravitz nods and takes the bandana in his fist before carefully holding it out to Fisher again. She still seems a little unsure, ears flicking back and forth like questing radar dishes, but she leans in nonetheless, and after a few more stops and starts she gives Kravitz' hand a tentative lick. Then her tail starts lashing and she noses his arm roughly out of the way to get at his face, pulling away snorting and sneezing with every doggy kiss but continuing to go back in for more anyway. Kravitz makes a token noise of protest, but his resistance crumbles away pretty quickly in favour of petting Fisher's ears and fur with a begrudging smile moving onto his face.

"There she is, absolute cuddle monster," Magnus laughs. "Told you she'd be fine."

"Is she house-trained?" Kravitz asks, turning to look at Magnus with one eye while the other remains scrunched up against Fisher's onslaught. Magnus chuckles.

"She's everything-trained. I'll take her out back and let her go do her business before we head inside, though, if you like."

"That sounds amenable," Kravitz replies, professional tone slightly undercut by the eighty pounds of dog slowly pushing him backwards onto the floor. Taako can't help but giggle just a little at the sight. It's cute.

The _dog_ is cute.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to read the next chapter too!


	13. Networking, Pt. 2 (Cont.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (This is a two-chapter update, so if you've come to this one first, go back and read the previous one!)

 

Once they eventually free Kravitz from his canine prison, Fisher is left free to roam the house and sniff around to her heart's content while the four of them move into the living room. Taako and his guests settle themselves over the sofa and the big armchair next to it, but Kravitz proceeds to hover awkwardly nearby, hands restless.

"Would, um, would you like tea, or - or coffee or anything?" he asks, then quickly turns his attention to Taako. "If - is that okay? I realise it's not really mine to offer, just--"

Taako cuts him off with a dismissive wave of the hand. "Knock yourself out, Casper, s'all good with Taako."

Kravitz frowns at him slightly. "You want me to...?"

"No, it - it means go ahead, do what you want," Taako explains with a small snicker. Dork.

"Oh, right," Kravitz murmurs, and turns back to the other two. "So? Would you like anything?"

Magnus shoots Taako a raised eyebrow. "Tea sounds good. Taako usually just throws some kinda alcohol at us."

"Like that isn't more fun," Taako scoffs, chin on his hand.

"O-oh, well, do you want me to get that instead?" Kravitz asks uncertainly. His face suddenly clouds over, that lost look sitting overcast on his features once again. It's another reason Taako doesn't try to press him too much on his past, that look. He always just seems so  _sad_.

"I think I used to have some nice wine around here somewhere, but it's probably long gone by now," he continues with a sigh, and Taako bites back the words of comfort that almost escape his mouth and waves him off instead.

"Don't worry about it, my man, tea's fine," he says indifferently. "I keep the good shit at the back. Get me an oolong."

"Same for me," Magnus smiles.

"Ditto," Merle calls from across the room.

"Cool, I'll, um. I'll go do that," Kravitz says quietly, and drifts out of the room.

The air is quiet for a minute before Magnus lets out a small snort.

"Did he just say  _cool_?" he asks incredulously. Taako kicks him in response.

"Don't be a jerk, he's tryin'."

"Sorry, didn't mean to insult your boyfriend," Magnus says innocently, and this time Taako throws a cushion at him.

"Fuck you," he growls, and throws a second cushion at Merle when he laughs. "He's not my boyfriend!"

"Except he's the walking definition of tall, dark and handsome and you're livin' in  _close proximity_ ," Merle muses.

"And he has absolutely no interest in ch'boy, yeah," Taako huffs. He doesn't realise his mistake until Magnus fixes him with a sly grin.

"So that's the problem, huh?" he asks smugly, and suddenly Taako is floundering like a fish out of water.

"Dh-- Ju--  _No_. Shut up," he fumbles -  _idiot_ , why did he say that? It's not even - that's not even  _relevant_. "That's not happening, this is - is a strictly platonic-type deal here," he insists. Magnus continues to regard him with raised eyebrows, and he lets out an aggravated growl, turning away and crossing his arms and then his legs as well for good measure. "Listen, I'm not bound to go after every cute guy I come into contact with,  _especially_  the dead ones."

"Sure. But you  _do_  think he's cute, and he's into you," Magnus says with a shrug. Taako hits him with a thousand-volt glare.

"Don't even fuckin'  _start_. There's nothing there."

"Taako--"

" _Nuh-uh-thing_ ," Taako hisses, jabbing a finger at him. Magnus lifts his hands in concession.

"If you say so. But I think he likes you."

"Like fuck he does, idiot, I don't even think he's into guys," Taako snaps.

"Have you  _asked_  him?" Magnus presses, insufferably patient. Taako scowls at the table.

" _No_."

"So why don't you?"

Taako grinds his teeth and throws his hands into the air out of sheer frustration. Why won't the big lug just  _drop it?_  "Be-- Because that's not a  _thing_ , that's not - not happening - no."

"Why not?" Merle cuts in, calm as still water. Taako turns to stare at him, momentarily speechless, but only receives a shrug in response. "Life's short, kid. But it's worth takin' time to figure out what you really want if you wanna make the most of it."

Taako continues to stare, still at a loss for words. Sometimes he forgets how wise Merle can actually be when he's not being a senile old coot. Occasionally, he is in fact capable of a nugget of real advice.

He turns away and shakes himself. That would only be decent advice if it was true that - that - it  _isn't_  true, is the point. He doesn't actually - there's nothing there, so it's completely irrelevant anyway. In this case, Merle is still just a pitifully out of touch old man who doesn't know what he's talking about.

Magnus interrupts his thoughts by clapping him on the shoulder and giving a loud call of "There he is!" as Kravitz returns with a mug of tea in either hand and sets them on the table.

"I'll be back with the other one in just a second," he says as Magnus reaches for a mug from where he'd set them, and he goes to head back into the kitchen. Taako frowns after him.

"Casper, I know for a fact that you could've just floated all three of those through here."

Kravitz pauses, and lets out a slightly nervous laugh. "I, um - well, I-I didn't wanna spook anyone."

"Dude, after earlier, I'm pretty sure some floating mugs aren't gonna have us running for the hills," Magnus laughs, and earns himself a tentative chuckle in return.

"Fair point," Kravitz says with a quiet smile, and briefly closes his eyes. After a moment, a third mug floats through the door and over their heads into Merle's hands. "Here."

Magnus watches the exchange with wide eyes and a characteristically excitable grin. "That is. So cool," he whispers, mildly awestruck. "How do you do it? Is it like a mind powers deal or what?"

"Well, it's, um - I s'pose it's - somethin' like having extra hands?" Kravitz hazards, picking his way through the sentence as if navigating unfamiliar ground. "I'm kind of - I'm made of so much - so much  _me_ , but it doesn't - it's not always all in the same place." He gives an uncertain laugh and scratches at his jaw. "I don't know if that makes any sense."

"About as much sense as you existin' in the first place," Merle shrugs. Kravitz gives a small chuckle in agreement.

"Ah. Yeah. I suppose it's all about as strange as the rest of it, isn't it?"

"Well, I think it's pretty cool," Magnus declares, lifting his mug to take a sip. Before he does, though, he pauses and gives Kravitz's empty hands an inquisitive glance. "You're not having any?"

"Not really a good idea unless you want it to end up all over the floor later," Kravitz says with an awkward smile. "I wouldn't be able to taste it anyway."

"Oh man, that sucks. It's nice tea, Taako always gets the good stuff," Magnus replies. He finally brings the mug to his lips, but then chokes and quickly wipes his mouth, looking back over at Kravitz with a grimace. "Um, no offense, I know you probably, uh, probably did your best here, but - did you remember to boil the water?"

Kravitz's expression drops. "Oh, shit - no, I-I did, I just - I'm not really suited to keepin' things warm," he explains, looking pained, and the two mugs he'd handled lift back into the air to follow him as he goes to hurry back into the kitchen. "Sorry, I'll go make some more."

"Nah, Krav, don't waste it," Taako calls after him. "Just throw 'em in the microwave for a bit, it'll be fine."

Kravitz pauses in his route and turns back towards him. "Okay," he says slowly, "But, uh - what's a microwave?"

"I'll come help, let's go," Magnus smiles, pushing himself up and going to clap Kravitz on the shoulder. He doesn't manage it, because Kravitz sees the enormous hand headed his way and flickers out long enough for him to miss, returning with a disapproving frown, but Magnus only laughs and grabs the mugs out of the air to take through to the kitchen. Taako darts up to follow them, too, because like hell is he letting Magnus the undead matchmaker get in an unsupervised conversation with his ghost.

One almost-incident and a short explanation about how you  _don't put the mug in the microwave with a spoon still in it holy shit_  later, they return to the living room with two freshly heated cups of tea. Kravitz hangs around long enough to check that the stuff is actually hot this time before seeming to decide his work is done.

"Right, um, I'll leave you to it, then," he says, and turns to head out of the room, but Taako flaps a hand at him.

"Nuh-uh, Casper, you're stayin'. We can finally have even teams."

Kravitz wavers in the doorway. "Are you sure? I don't want to--"

Taako brushes off the rest of his words like so many inconsequential flies. "Intrude, yeah, whatever - it's fine. You can help me kick these guys' asses."

"Hey, how come you get him?" Magnus complains as Kravitz carefully sits down on the sofa between them. He doesn't look particularly comfortable sandwiched in like he is - especially seeing as Magnus takes up half of the available room by himself - and Taako wonders vaguely why he didn't take a seat on one of the free chairs across the way, but then this is the place with the best view of the TV, he supposes.

"My ghost, my team, duh," he tells Magnus, ignoring the chill that he can feel slowly seeping into the side of his thigh. Magnus nods in acceptance even as Kravitz shoots him back a small frown. Taako returns a frown of his own. "What?"

"Well, I don't - I'm not  _your_  ghost," Kravitz huffs. "I belong to myself."

Taako rolls his eyes. "Fine, whatever - you wanna play with someone else?"

Kravitz very quickly shakes his head. "N-- No, this is fine. Just the principle of the thing."

"And what am I, chopped liver?" Merle grumbles just loudly enough to be heard.

"Nope, just super,  _super_  bad, old man. Sorry," Taako shoots back at him. He gets up from his seat to hand out controllers, and as he sits back down again he breaks out into a wide grin. "Say, how about we make it interesting? I'll bet I can beat both of you clowns even with  _my_  old man holdin' me back."

"I'm not that old," Kravitz mumbles to himself, but he does perk up slightly at the mention of a wager. And he doesn't make any claim to actually being good at the game even though he beats Taako two times out of three by now, which leads Taako to believe he's up for hustling his friends out of a little cash.

"I'll take that," Magnus says, leaning forward to address Taako. "How much?"

"I dunno, ten bucks?" Taako suggests.

Kravitz almost falls out of his seat.

"You-- Ten -  _ten dollars_?" he sputters. "Don't you think you're starting out a little high?"

"High?" Taako frowns. "Ten dollars ain't that much, Casper."

Kravitz gapes at him. "Not that m-- How much money do you  _have_?"

"What?" Taako replies with a small, incredulous laugh. "Dude, I'm not  _rich_ , ten bucks is just - it's ten bucks."

"I - I really can't believe you're being so--"

"Inflation, kid," Merle cuts in from the armchair to their left. "Y'know a dollar's worth half what it was ten years ago, try a hundred."

Kravitz blinks over at him a few times before turning his stare on Taako instead. "So it's - how - how much would you pay for - for--" He pauses, brows furrowed and gears turning behind his eyes, before finally shaking his head and suggesting, "Milk?"

Taako shrugs. "Couple dollars. Depends how much milk," he says. Kravitz sits back in his seat and chews at a nail, seeming to be running through some mental calculations.

"So that's... okay. Alright, that's - that's a lot more reasonable than I thought, then."

"Was ten that much?" Taako asks with a frown. Like, yeah, ten bucks isn't nothing, but it's not a  _fortune._

"Well, that'd be - if, if it's two to - maybe ten cents, that'd be..." Kravitz's eyes lift towards the ceiling as he considers. "Um, two hundred dollars or so, in your terms. Something like that."

Taako snickers to himself and looks back at Magnus. "We could do two hundred if you want."

"Why don't we just leave it at ten," Magnus says, lightly elbowing Kravitz, who's looking physically sick now. Or, as sick as a marginally transparent spiritual apparition can look.

"Best of seven?" Magnus suggests, and Taako grins, knowing just how well the odds are stacked in his favour.

"Bring it, boners."

 

-*-

 

They lose the first game. Which is ultimately fine, they have three more chances not to fuck up. Except they lose the second game as well, and then the third, and at that point Taako can't help but shoot his teammate a sour look, because the reason they're losing is because  _someone_  is playing a mile below their actual skill level, and now is really not the time to be playing with kid gloves.

After the third loss, Kravitz sets his controller down with a sigh, looking forlorn. "Perhaps it's time for a break. I'm afraid most of this is outside of my expertise," he says, as if he was admitting some kind of personal failing and not straight up  _lying_. Taako squints at him. What's his game here? To embarrass him?

"Delaying the inevitable, huh?" Merle comments smugly, seeming distinctly pleased to actually be winning for once. Usually he can barely tell which way is up. "Fine by me, I could use a break."

He reaches into a pocket and pulls out a lighter and a cigarette - something hand-rolled that may or may not be tobacco - and places the latter into his mouth while he attempts to snap the first to life. However hard he tries, though, the flame only continues to snuff out as soon as it lights, and Kravitz carefully clears his throat.

"I would appreciate you taking it outside if you're going to smoke," he says with well-measured civility. "Or at least doing it out of a window."

"Krav, you can't even smell it," Taako points out. He's not the biggest fan of the smoke either, but he's spent more than long enough around Merle to be used to it. He does, however, give the old man a pointed look as he slides out of his chair. "If that's weed, though, you'd better be sharin'."

"It's bad for the wallpaper," Kravitz insists. "And for your health, but that's your decision." He turns back to Merle, and motions towards the nearby window that's just slid itself open. "There's an ashtray on top of the leftmost kitchen cupboard you can use."

"What, you want me to climb for it?" Merle asks flatly, gesturing to his less-than-lengthy stature. Kravitz gives a small smile, and then suddenly is halfway towards the door.

"Ah, right," he says amicably as he exits the room. "I'll fetch it for you."

He returns half a minute or so later with a small dish in hand, and proffers it in Merle's direction. It's made from a solid piece of pastel-pink crystal with intricate cut-glass patterning across its surface - strikingly beautiful. In fact, for such a grand house, it's the most valuable-looking thing Taako's seen here.

"That looks expensive," he comments. Kravitz looks at the dish and shrugs.

"Been here for forever. No-one ever looks up there."

"Covering a bad habit, eh?" Merle asks, holding out a hand for the dish. 

"Ah. Well. Yes," Kravitz replies with a short half-laugh as he hands it over. "Guilty as charged. Though I'd prefer a cigar to whatever it is you've got there."

"So, lemme just - you can ignore the fact that you're  _literally dead_ for a century, but you couldn't quit smoking?" Taako asks with a snort. Kravitz gives a small single-shouldered shrug.

"Well. We've all got vices."

"Things'll kill ya, though," Merle says airily, blowing a wobbly smoke ring out of the window. "But I guess you don't have to worry about that."

"Not a threat looming on my particular horizon, no," Kravitz agrees, taking his seat again. "Yours, however... well, I can see you joining me soon."

The room stills to a dead silence as the three living people in the room all turn to stare at him. Kravitz clears his throat and shifts a little uncomfortably in his seat 

"That, uh - that was a joke. I'm joking. I don't know when you're gonna die, that'd be, um. Rather morbid."

"Right." Magnus sets his half-empty mug of tea down on the table and stands up. "Where's your bathroom?"

"Just, down the--" Kravitz starts, before Taako snaps his fingers in front of his face to get his attention.

"I'm sure he can manage to find it," he says flatly, then lowers his voice a little as Magnus heads for the door. "What's up with you bombing out, anyway? You're not this bad."

"Yes, uh, sorry for letting the side down," Kravitz says with a swift glance in Merle's direction. "Good thing you didn't bet any higher, right?"

"Well, I  _thought_  we could do better than that," Taako huffs.

"Hey, there's still four games left, you could still win," Magnus calls from the hallway. "Ah - found it!"

"Well, I'd say you've got pretty good odds right now," Kravitz replies, more to the room in general. "Hell, I'd put money on us not winning a single game."

Merle barks a derisive laugh. "So would I, at this rate."

At that moment, Kravitz catches Taako's eye, a poorly-suppressed smirk on his face. And Taako suddenly realises that the ball has been smacked into his court.

"Y-- Yeah - y'know, I think that first bet seems kinda unfair now, right? Seeing as these teams are so uneven," he says, raising an eyebrow at Kravitz but otherwise directing his words towards Merle. "How about changing it to ten for every game we win from here on out?"

Merle stubs his cigarette out and turns back to face them as he slides the window shut with a snort. "So you wanna give us forty dollars?"

"I wanna chance at winnin'  _something_ ," Taako replies with a dispassionate shrug.

"And I want snacks!" Magnus announces, re-entering the room. "Who's hungry?"

"Don't have any food," Taako says flatly. Magnus pouts at him, and he sighs. "Fine, there's macaroons in the box by the fridge."

"Hell yeah!" Magnus yells, immediately heading out the door again. "Merle, you want any?"

"Get me five."

"Hey - nuh-uh, you get one macaroon per game!" Taako shouts after him, turning to kneel backwards on the sofa cushion so he can glare for as long as possible. "Three each!"

"So you're sayin' if we win the next four games we get forty dollars  _and_  four more macarons each?" Merle asks, stroking his beard contemplatively.

"They're French maca _roons_ \--"

Magnus sticks his head back around the door. "Why're we getting more money?"

"Taako thinks he's got a better chance with a different bet," Merle tells him. "Ten on each game."

"Fine by me," Magnus grins. "Now I'm gonna go raid your kitchen."

"Thanks for the ashtray," Merle says as he follows Magnus out of the door, ash-filled dish in hand. Kravitz nods mutely, eyes tracking him out of the door and lingering there before he gives a quiet huff of laughter and turns back to the table, smiling to himself.

"What're you smilin' about?" Taako prompts, kicking his foot. Kravitz looks over at him and shakes his head slightly, still smiling

"You're all just so... lively. Quite the jump about you all," he says, and shrugs and turns away when Taako hits him with a confused frown. "It's just refreshing, is all. Bein' able to see people having fun together."

"Yeah. Well, they're - y'know. Family or whatever," Taako mumbles, fussing with an earring. "Y'know how it is."

Kravitz gives a small, sad smile, and a slight nod. "Used to have quite an extensive family, back home. Always missed the noise," he says quietly, eyes moving over the array of half-empty mugs on the table, then he turns back to Taako with a solemn look. "Not to give unsolicited advice, but you should really appreciate them while you're all still here. You never know what's coming."

"Now you  _really_  sound like an old man," Taako scoffs, and spins back around to sit properly in his seat, facing him. "So are you gonna step up your game now, or what? I took a leap there, you'd better not lose me forty bucks and eight  _choice_  macaroons."

Kravitz chuckles to himself. "Oh, I think the tide'll be turning soon."

"It better," Taako tells him, waving a finger. "Or you're gonna owe me forty dollars."

Kravitz chews his lip and glances at him out of the corner of his eye. "I'm sure I could find a way to pay you back," he smiles softly, one hand playing with couple of his suit buttons. "But, um, I don't think it'll be a problem."

It definitely won't be a problem, if the next game is anything to go by. Seeing as only one of their opponents has any actual skill, Merle's easily taken out of the picture early on, and then the two of them can tag team Magnus back and forth for a relatively easily-secured win. Not so easy that the others are anything more than a little surprised, but definitely a better trajectory than they were on before. As soon as the game is over, Taako beams and holds up a hand to his new favourite teammate.

"Fuck yeah, give ch'boy some skin, my fella."

Kravitz looks blankly from his hand and back to him. "...You're gonna need to explain that one."

"Just - you hit it," Taako says, pushing his hand further. Kravitz leans away with a frown.

"I'm not going to hit you."

Taako gives him a spirited eye roll. "Not  _hard_ , just - Mags?" he prompts, reaching over Kravitz to proffer his hand. Magnus sits up and eagerly winds back an arm, and Taako immediately yanks his hand out of the line of fire. " _Woah_ , okay, nope. Merle."

Merle raises a hand without looking and gives him a perfectly acceptable high-five that leaves all of his bones intact, and Taako offers his other hand back to Kravitz. "See? Now you."

"Oh. Okay," Kravitz says quietly, and reaches up to gently tap their hands together. Taako heaves a weary sigh and lets his arm fall back into his lap.

"That was fuckin' pathetic, but close enough."

An anxious expression takes hold of Kravitz's features. "I-I can try again?"

"Moment's gone, Casper, you gotta earn another one," Taako says, picking his controller back up again. Kravitz follows suit, seeming more than a little disappointed.

"Um. Alright, then."

The next game goes to them as well, and then the next, and then the next, taking less and less time each round until it just seems plain unfair. The last game, they don't just win - they  _bulldoze_  their opponents in record time, with barely a lost life between them. Magnus and Merle sit there stunned for a moment while Taako tries to show Kravitz how to deliver a decent high five, which is for some reason harder than it sounds. He's just starting to get it when Magnus finally regains the power of speech. 

"What - what just  _happened?_ " he asks incredulously, leaning forward in his seat to stare at them both. Kravitz gives him a triumphant smile.

"I do believe you were just wrecked."

"It's 'got wrecked,' Krav," Taako corrects in a whisper.

"What's the difference?" Kravitz whispers back, frowning, then rolls his eyes in concession to Taako's pointed snicker. "Alright, you  _got_  wrecked."

"You played us!" Magnus accuses in an indignant whine. Taako giggles and leans back in his seat so he can set his feet on the table. It scoots back a few inches before he can actually get them up there, but Taako can't bring himself to really care.

"You didn't make it all that hard, Mags," he says with a rightfully smug grin.

"And you were in on this?" Magnus places a hand over his heart, looking at Kravitz now. "I thought we were  _friends_."

Kravitz's mouth opens slightly, though no actual sound comes out. The word  _friend_  always seems to take him at least a little by surprise. "W-well, I wasn't intending for any money to actually change hands. That wouldn't be fair on a rigged game," he manages after a second, carefully fixing his hair. "But, uh, I suppose that'd be up to all of you."

"Oh, I'm takin' the cash - hand it over, losers," Taako demands, holding out an imperious hand for his hard-earned winnings. Magnus groans and hands over a twenty with a sigh.

"Whatever," he sighs. "Next time we flip a coin for your ghost."

Beaming, Taako gives Kravitz's shoulder a gleeful pat. "Ch'boy taught him everything he knows."

"If you say so, love," Kravitz says with a doubtful snort.

Taako turns to stare at him, hand frozen in mid-air.

"What did you just call me?"

Kravitz blinks at him for a second, and then his eyes widen and he sits bolt upright in his seat. "Oh, no, it's not - i-it's just somethin' you say, I'm not - I didn't mean--" he stammers, rapidly fading towards a state of near-invisibility while steadfastly avoiding eye contact. "Sorry, I won't - won't say it again."

Taako feels too warm again. God damn the heating in this place, he needs to get someone in to look at it. "It's, uh, cool, homes. Just kind of a surprise," he mumbles. Kravitz stands up abruptly, shoulders stiff and posture rigid.

"I-I'd better go, um, go - wash these," he stutters, and gathers up the abandoned mugs from the table with a clatter before bolting from the room. Shortly after, there's a loud, distinctly dog-like yelp followed by a further clashing of china, and then a curse and a number of panicked apologies.

"You okay?" Magnus calls out of the door, vague concern on his face.

"Y-yeah, just - don't, um - the floor's wet an' also your dog's wet so maybe jus' stay in there while I clean it up I'm really sorry," comes the harried response, and then the living room door quickly slams shut.

Magnus lets out a soft whistle.

" _Well_. Methinks he dost protest too much, huh?"

"Yup, you could cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife. And you'd need a big one, because there's that much of it," Merle comments as he proffers his own rumpled twenty in Taako's general direction. 

"Like hell," Taako scoffs, snatching the money from his hand and tucking it into his pocket next to the rest. "Ghost boy's just awkward, haven't you noticed?"

Magnus levels him with a  _look_ that Taako does not appreciate in the least. "You  _really_  think he's not interested in you? You're  _totally_  sure?"

"Uh, did we just see the same thing?" Taako asks with an incredulous laugh. "He fuckin' fled the room, my man, I'd say that's a pretty clear indicator."

Magnus' eyebrows lift towards his hair in a doubtful expression, and he shakes his head, but he says, "...Right."

Taako scowls and flops back into the sofa. Stupid Magnus. Doesn't know what he's talking about. Who's the one that lives here, huh? Taako. And Taako's senses point towards Kravitz being  _painfully_  fucking disinterested. If he wasn't, he'd probably have flirted back at least once by now. Right? Nobody's that awkward. There's nothing.

Not that it even matters.

"Whaddya think, Merle, a month?" Magnus is asking as he tunes back in, and Merle barks a laugh.

"You remember the last time he had his eye on someone? Two weeks, if that."

"That's it! I'm kicking both of you out, go home! Go home!" Taako snaps, and starts trying to lever Magnus' weight off of the sofa by getting behind him and pushing at his back with his feet.

"Taako, I need to get my dog," Magnus says, not moved even an inch. Taako huffs and pushes at him harder. He wishes he was a wizard or something. He wishes he had magic powers, and he could just snap his fingers and teleport these two chucklefucks out of his house and into a swamp in the middle of nowhere. God, that would be the dream.

"Nope, she's in my custody now, you can see her on weekends and every other Tuesday," he growls, wondering why he has to be friends with a human  _mountain_  of all people.

Sighing, Magnus finally stands, leaving Taako to crumple onto the seat cushion behind him as he heads out of the room.

"Fisher?" he calls, while Taako reorients himself and moves to follow him so he can continue to shoo him out. "Fisher? Where've you gone, girl?"

She really isn't too hard to find, in the end, lying lengthways across the downstairs hallway with her nose tucked underneath a bookcase. Magnus sighs a little and makes his way over to her, and Taako catches a ghostly head cautiously peering around the kitchen door.

"Is she alright? I kind of - I sort of tripped over her on my way out, I don't know if--"

Magnus shakes his head and runs his hand along the dog's back, ruffling her fur and wiping his wet hand off on his jeans afterwards. "Nah, she does this," he says, unconcerned, and takes her by the collar. She whines and gives a low, rumbling  _whuff_  as he gently pulls her to her feet, but she's nothing if not obedient, and once again lets herself be led away with little protest.

"I'll bring her back sometime," Magnus calls over his shoulder as Kravitz steps out into the hallway proper from the kitchen. "Nothing like a little animal therapy, right? Maybe I can find a dog for you to adopt next time."

"Well, I - I prefer cats, but - yes, that - that would be nice, for you to bring her back, thank you," Kravitz replies, watching after them. "Are, um - are you leaving, then?"

Magnus throws a mock salute back at him. "Yup, Taako's kicking us out. Nice meeting ya though!"

"Uh. Yes, you too. And you, Merle."

Merle gives a lazy wave as he follows Magnus out of the door. "Sure, sure. You kids behave, ya hear?"

"I'm... hardly a child," Kravitz frowns after him - but the door is already swinging shut, and then they're left alone in the hallway as the latch clicks over and the sound of footsteps recedes down the porch steps and out of earshot.

After a moment or two, Kravitz turns to look over at Taako with a shrug. "Well. They seem nice."

Taako rolls his eyes, still feeling ruffled from the series of stupid conversations his two _supposed_ friends had put him through today. "Magnus is a human puppy and Merle's a creepy old man who thinks that livin' together automatically means people are dating. But sure."

"What's... dating?" Kravitz asks cautiously, squinting at him a little. Taako shrugs.

"Y'know, like - y'know. Dating."

"I don't," Kravitz says, looking genuinely confused. Taako heaves a sigh and rolls a hand in the air, searching for the right word.

"Fine, what would you -  _courting?_ That make more sense?"

That finally seems to strike a chord, and Kravitz stands up a little straighter as his eyes widen. " _Oh_. Oh, I see. That makes sense," he says, that last part mostly to himself. Taako frowns at him, and he suddenly tenses up again, ducking his head. "Y-yes, that's, um - that's quite the assumption."

"Right?" Taako scoffs, folding his arms. "I mean, you're hot an' all, but it's not like you're even fuckin' -  _eligible_  or whatever. Who dates a dead guy, huh?" he laughs, and then catches himself and reins it in a little. "I mean, uh, no offense."

Kravitz doesn't respond right away. He blinks at him mutely for a second or two, as if Taako had just slapped him in the face, before nodding quickly and looking away towards the floor. "No, um, none taken. That'd be - would be rather silly, wouldn't it? Wouldn't get anyone anywhere." He clears his throat and turns away, fading as he moves. "I'll be in the music room if you need me. Let me know if it's too loud," he says lightly, and vanishes from view.

Taako is left in the quiet with the unshakeable feeling that he's done something wrong.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! $10 in 1910 would in fact be about $250 today... inflation is wild
> 
> You may have noticed "mutual pining" has been added as a tag. This is because "mutual pining but one of the involved parties doesn't know how how to deal with his intimacy issues and the idea of genuine connection with a romantic partner and so denies his feelings to the detriment of himself and others around him" was a little too long to include lol
> 
> Also!! [Here's a bit of companion art from my tungle,](http://lexicals.tumblr.com/post/176244598016/hello-heres-some-good-good-fancy-suit-boys-i-drew) drawing on the right goes w that one scene from ch8, drawing on the left is a general "this is what the outfit looks like" (if he ever actually removed the jacket lol)


	14. Exchanges, Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There are a thousand ways to show someone you care about them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who had to split the chapter because it was too long again..... yeah. Part two should hopefully be up in a week or so, probably gonna be 4-5k shhdjfjg

 

Things are... weird, for a little while after that. Whatever careful equilibrium the two of them had found over the last week or so has been suddenly thrown off-kilter again - undeniably so, even though Taako couldn't say for sure why or how. And he can't shake a niggling sensation that the whole thing is somehow his fault.

But it's not  _him_  that's acting any different - that's on Kravitz, for sure. The guy's been  _weird_  the last couple days, quieter and more drawn in than usual. Almost as quiet as he'd been a few days after they'd made up and he'd been catching up on some history on Taako's laptop, and stumbled across death tolls of thousands upon millions. He'd barely spoken for the next forty-eight hours, a century's worth of atrocities hanging over him like a cloud. Taako couldn't hold it against him. He'd essentially slept through two world wars and worse.

But this time, it feels more like he's just being avoided. Conversations that had been stretching into hours now last only five or ten minutes, if that, and suddenly he's back to feeling almost as isolated as he had after Candlenights. And Lup and Barry are away on a research trip in the middle of ass-end nowhere, so he can't even go bless them with his sparkling company like he had then.

So, he supposes he'll just have to wait things out and hope whatever this weirdness is eventually goes away. In the interim, he's getting an abundance of quality Taako time. Alone. Just he, him, and himself.

Maybe if he keeps telling himself he likes the alone time it'll actually become true.

He's been in his room alone, again, for the last few hours, trying to put together the perfect outfit for a work-related party he has to go to tonight. Something with a little flair, a little risqué but also glamorous and professional. A flirty-length black velvet pencil skirt and billowing emerald-green blouse tucked in at the waist should do it, he eventually decides. Not exactly weather-appropriate, but sometimes you've gotta suffer for your aesthetic. He pairs it with some touches of gold jewellery and eyeshadow, and plaits his hair into a complex braid which he then wraps into a bun held in place with a stick tucked through the centre.

Not  _just_  a stick. A fancy stick with a convincing fake gem on it.

He checks himself over in the mirror and looks, as expected, fucking regal. But there's one minor dilemma.

"Krav, get in here, I need a second opinion on this," he shouts towards the door. Lup would normally be the one he'd go to for that, but his fancy ghost will have to do for tonight. If he even shows up.

"On--?" Kravitz asks, pushing open the door a crack before stopping and staring at him. "Oh. You look nice."

"Taako doesn't do  _nice,_ Casper, he does fucking incredible or not at all," Taako scoffs, turning away and only preening the tiniest amount. (It's hard to stay aloof when he can't stop  _smiling_ , though.)

"Well, the, uh - the fashion is a little different from my day, so don't think too much of my opinion," Kravitz says from behind him, a slight tremor to his voice. "I - I like the skirt, though, it's a lovely colour. The fit's, um. Unusual."

"Hell yeah it is, ch'boy's got good taste." Taako picks up two sets of heels from the bed and holds them out, one pair in either hand. "What do you think, black or gold?"

Kravitz looks at the shoes in mild concern as he enters the room in earnest and swings the door over behind him. "Those are... very high."

"And I'm dextrous as fuck, now which pair?"

After a moment of flicking his eyes between each pair and Taako's outfit, Kravitz points towards the shoes on his right. "The, uh, the gold is a nice balance. Offsets the jewellery."

"Sweet," Taako says, throwing the rejected pair onto the bed. That would've been his choice anyway, but it's nice to know ghost boy's fashion sense is as good as his outfit would suggest.

"So, you're, um - you're going somewhere nice?" Kravitz asks tentatively, leaning back against the wall next to the door. Taako perches his velvet-clad ass on the bed and shrugs as he drops the heels onto the floor. 

"Eh, just a work thing. But Merle's gonna be there, and I gotta say, despite the old hippie dude vibe, the guy knows how to fuckin' party. Got like a bajillion party points, so it'll be a good time."

"Oh. Work. Good," Kravitz mumbles, then clears his throat and adjusts his tie. "I mean, that's - I'm glad things seem to be going well. For you. At work." He chews his lip and offers Taako a careful look, drumming his fingers briefly against the wall behind him. "So, no-one's going to object to you wearing that?"

"Wearing what?" Taako asks, frowning, then glances down at himself and snorts a laugh before going back to sliding his feet into his shoes. "What, the skirt? They can think whatever they want - ch'boy feels like wearin' a skirt, ch'boy's gonna wear a skirt. And any-- Anyway, it's - anyone who's gonna be a dick isn't invited, y'know?"

He pauses for a second, and eyes the pile of rejected clothes scattered over his bed, then turns his attention back to Kravitz, giving him a quick up-and-down consideration. Guy looks like he could probably rock a skirt if he tried. He lifts one not too dissimilar from his own up from the bed, holding it up between them for a second with one eye shut to get a feel for how it would look. Kravitz has longer legs and a slimmer waistline than him, as far as Taako can tell past the boxy cut of his suit, but it would probably be a passable fit, at least. After another moment's pondering, he shrugs and just offers the thing over. "You wanna try it? Personally, ch'boy likes the breeze."

An unseen force gently pushes the garment back towards him. "That's alright, thank you. I'm quite happy with what I've got on."

"Alright," Taako sighs, throwing the skirt back onto the bed and turning his attention to fastening his shoes instead. "Not gonna force ya."

The gold does match his whole look a lot better than the black would've. He takes one last look in the mirror, and goes to do a short twirl to show off, but ends up stumbling when one of his heels catches on a floorboard. And if that wasn't embarrassing enough, Kravitz is suddenly right next to him asking if he's alright and making sure he doesn't fall. Which is when Taako notices something.

"Hey, look, I'm taller'n you now," he grins, patting the top of Kravitz's head. The extra height from the heels more than makes up the few inches Kravitz has on him, which is a little weird, but also pretty fun. Kravitz immediately takes a step back, looking slightly panicked.

"Y-yeah, that's, uh, nice," he stutters out, flickering a little as he backpedals. Taako rolls his eyes and turns back to the mirror to finish his once-over. He can't be  _that_  unused to people being taller than him, dramatic asshole.

He smooths out a few creases and fixes his hair, then jumps as a voice speaks from behind him where the mirror shows only empty air. Fucking ghost bullshit.

"Oh, your shirt."

Taako heaves an aggrieved sigh. "What about it? Somethin' wrong with my fashion sense?"

"No, it's - it's torn, at the back." A cold finger brushes against his shoulder. "Here."

Taako cranes his neck to look over his shoulder for a moment, then gives up and just checks in the mirror. The shirt is indeed torn at the seam at the back, just where the arm meets the main body. "Oh, shit. Good spot," he murmurs, trying to remember the last time he'd worn this shirt.

...Right, Brian's wedding. Guy with the piercings. That had been a fun night. Definitely rough on his shirt.

"You have sewing supplies, right? I can mend it for you," Kravitz offers, now standing close behind him and leaning in to get a better look at the tear. Taako shoos him off and moves away to start opening and shutting drawers in various furniture.

"Nah, Casper, I got it," he assures. A doubtful frown takes shape on Kravitz face.

"You know how to sew?"

"Sure I do, just gotta find the - the kit," Taako says as he continues to rummage, only a little bit offended. "S'here somewhere."

"I put it in the kitchen drawer next to the stove, I think. Shall I go get it?"

"Nope, I got it," Taako replies quickly, already halfway out of the door before Kravitz can move. The sewing kit is indeed neatly tucked among a pile of odds and ends in an out-of-the-way drawer, along with the ashtray Merle used the other day and a few other miscellaneous objects - a couple of charging cables and things like that. Seems like this is the place Kravitz put all the things he wasn't sure what to do with.

He throws the kit onto the bed with the rest of his party-prep mess as he returns to his room and strips off his shirt before hopping up onto the mattress to try to get this stupid tear fixed before he ends up being more than fashionably late.

The room is... weirdly silent. Did Kravitz leave? He looks up from his third failed attempt at pushing the end of the thread through the needle and finds him leaning against the wall exactly where he'd left him, except Taako can see a lot more of the wallpaper now.

"You good, Casper?" he asks as he licks the thread again and this time finally gets it through the eye. 

"I'm, uhm - I'm - fine, yes," Kravitz replies quickly, falling another degree transparent. He has his eyes fixed on the floor and a distinct furrow between his eyebrows, lips pressed into a hard line. "Thank you."

"You sure?"

Kravitz responds with a series of rapid-fire nods. "Mm-- Mm-hm, I'm, uh - great," he insists, still not looking at him.

Taako raises an eyebrow at him and turns his attention back to the shirt. Guy's  _clearly_  got no taste. "I know I'm beautiful, my guy, you can look if you want."

Kravitz lets out a careful breath. "I don't think that would be appropriate."

"Casper, I know I've said this like, nine hundred times already, but you are such an old man sometimes," Taako sighs. He'd roll his eyes if he wasn't concentrating so hard on getting this shirt fixed. "It's just skin."

"Yes, well, I can't really do anything about that," Kravitz replies, determinedly looking only at the floor. He glances up briefly at Taako's hissed curse when he stabs himself in the finger with the needle, then looks quickly away again and makes for the door. "Y'know, I'll just, ah - leave you to it."

"Look, if I put on another shirt, will you, fuckin' - are you gonna chill?" Taako huffs, shoving the needle into the fabric so that he doesn't lose it in the process of throwing the shirt down onto the bed next to him and rooting around for another one. He's honestly kind of offended at this point - usually people are a  _lot_  more enthusiastic about him taking his clothes off. "What, am I that hard to look at?"

Kravitz stops with his hand on the door and mutters something too quiet to make out before turning back with a sigh. "No, it's... fine, if you're comfortable then I don't mind," he says, though he's talking to a nearby lamp instead of Taako.

Taako decides to just drop the issue. Now that he thinks about it, he's pretty sure people way back when used to get horny over ankles, so maybe this would be considered public indecency or something in Kravitz's terms. Except it's not public, but whatever. Shaking his head, he picks the shirt back up and waves a finger towards the bedside table where his phone is lying on charge.

"If you say so, hombre. Can you just - get my phone from over there? This shit's gonna make me late."

"Oh, um - yeah. Yeah, of course," Kravitz says, and goes over to unplug the phone from its charger before holding it out for Taako to take. Taako lifts up the shirt in his hands by way of excuse and gestures the phone back towards him.

"Could you unlock it and send Ren a message for me? Kinda got my hands busy."

"Alright. Um." Kravitz turns the phone over and taps his fingers along the case, awkward. "How do I... do that."

"Push the button on the front and then type in my passcode when the screen lights up," Taako tells him without looking up. "It's sixty-nine sixty-nine."

Kravitz does as instructed and prods at the screen for a second, reference flying straight over his head, then frowns and holds the phone back out to him. "It doesn't work, sorry. I don't think I can use this one, either."

Groaning, Taako lets his head loll backwards on his shoulders and resigns himself to being late for his own party. "Right. Never mind, just leave it there. I'll do it in a sec."

He goes back to his repair job with perhaps a little less care than he should be taking, frustrated and wanting to get this whole thing done with already. He could just pick another shirt, he supposes, but he'd already taken a good half hour to choose this one, and then he'd have to rework half his outfit, so it's just - this is easier. Gotta be.

The fifth time he pricks his finger Kravitz makes a pained face and extends a hand, sitting down on the bed a short distance away.

"Please, just - please let me do that."

"What, you think you can do better?" Taako huffs, but honestly he's ready to have someone else take over. Struggling with any given activity isn't his style, much easier to delegate to someone else when the going gets rough. 

"I  _know_  I can do better," Kravitz sighs, gesturing him forward with his fingers. "Give it over."

Only feeling a little like the wind's been taken out of his party night sails, Taako offers him the shirt. Kravitz takes it from his hand, a brush of cold air briefly dusting over Taako's skin as he moves, and studies the garment for a second before unpicking Taako's wobbly stitching, turning the fabric inside out and running the needle through it in steady, repetitive movements. After a minute he ties and snips off the thread, then turns the shirt back the right way out and holds it up to look at it before proffering it back Taako's way.

"Here," he says. "It's not built to last, but it should do for a night."

Taako takes the shirt and holds it up to look for himself. The fix is damn near perfect.

"Shit, dude," he mumbles, more than a little impressed. "You wouldn't even know it was ripped."

"I told you to just let me do it," Kravitz shrugs. Taako looks past the emerald green of the fabric in his hands to study him for a second, intrigued.

"You use to be a tailor or somethin'? Your suit's nice enough."

Kravitz glances away and brings a hand up to fuss with his hair, eyes distant. "Oh, uh, no - my mother. Seamstress. She taught me," he explains. "I used to help her with her work on occasion. And I, um, had to do this for a lot of my own clothes."

"Like that suit?" Taako prompts, wondering how long he can ride this wave for. Frowning, Kravitz runs his fingers around a shirt cuff.

"I'm... not sure. Probably."

"What - what do you mean you're not sure?" Taako asks, confused now. "You gotta know one way or the other."

"I made a lot of alterations to a lot of clothes, I can't be expected to remember every one," Kravitz huffs defensively, and roughly tugs the cuff back down over his wrist. His shoulders have gone stiff the way they do when he's done being pressed on any given topic, so Taako sighs and turns his energy towards turning up at this party at some point tonight.

"Sure, fine, whatever," he says, shrugging on the repaired shirt. "Thanks, anyway, you're a lifesaver. I'll be sure to give you a call next time I rip my pants."

Kravitz snorts a little. "Such an odd word. Never saw what was wrong with just calling them trousers."

Taako offers a louder snort of his own as he finishes up with his shirt buttons. "Well I'm not askin' you to fix my  _underwear_ , mister fancy British ghost man. Although, I do have some real great panties I would hate to lose, so maybe if I'm desperate," he grins, patting Kravitz on the arm and then leaning back to pick up his phone and send Ren a belated 'gonna be late' text. "How are you with lace?"

He doesn't get a reply, and when he looks up from his phone Kravitz is just - gone. He frowns and lets his hands fall to his lap.

"Rude, Casper!" he shouts to the house in general. "What, you got more pressing business to attend to?"

"Still here," comes a slightly muffled voice from where Kravitz had been sitting a second before. "You're gonna - y-you're gonna be late."

Taako squints at the air where he's pretty sure Kravitz is, but can only make out a slight haze, like a person-shaped cloud of mist. "Any reason I'm talking to Casper-lite right now?"

"I - I got tired. Not used to staying physical for this long." The haze moves over to the doorway, and the door swings quickly open to meet it. "Y'know, you should - you should really get movin'. Don't wanna be late."

"Okay, fine, I'm gone, jeez," Taako grumbles, standing and starting to gather his things. "Didn't realise you wanted me out so bad."

"I'm just worried about your reputation."

"What, for bein' punctual?" Taako snorts. "Don't have one."

"You could if you tried harder," the person-shaped fog that is Kravitz sighs.

"Like fuck. The only time I value is my own, bubeleh, everyone else can learn to deal." Taako tugs on his jacket and starts for the door to head downstairs. "Thanks for the save, anyway. Promise I won't ask you to fix my underwear."

"I think that would be for the best," Kravitz agrees, with no small trace of forced composure. Taako decides to give him a break for maybe just a minute. It's not his fault he grew up in some weirdo sexually repressed straight-lace culture, after all.

"Don't wait up honey, if I bring anyone home please don't try to hit them with furniture," he drawls with an airy wave when he gets downstairs, already halfway out of the door. There's a nervous laugh from nearby.

"No guarantees."

Taako snickers to himself, lingering in the entryway. "Even if I bring someone back for you, too?"

"Please don't do that," comes the very strained reply. Taako grins wide and wicked.

"You're tellin' me after a hundred years you're not itchin' for a little action?" he presses, leaning towards the patch of air in front of him that's a little more opaque than the rest. "C'mon, you can tell me, you got a preference? You like blondes, brunettes, what? I can get anybody, nobody's immune to the Taako charm, trust me."

"I'd rather not discuss this I really think you need to go or you're gonna be very late," Kravitz rushes out, and then there's a light shove to Taako's shoulder and he stumbles out into the cold as the door shuts behind him.

"I mean it, I'll go flirt for you, you just gotta tell me what you like," Taako shouts at one of the windows, and the curtains draw themselves closed in a decisive, final motion. He spins on his heel with a dramatic sigh and makes his way down the porch steps, and if he hears the sound of someone screaming into a pillow coming from an open window he definitely doesn't laugh about it.

 

 -*-

 

In the end, Taako ends up heading home alone, just past tipsy and grumbling to himself about how stupid he was to not make a harder pass at that sweet bear with the service dog (practically a wolf) who he could've been having a good time with instead. Dumbass.

It's fine. He just wasn't feeling it. Just like he's not feeling vertical right now and maybe he'd had a little more wine than he thought?

A pair of arms too cold to be Lup's catch him before he can hit the deck completely, and then he's sitting on something soft and under something warm and someone's pushing a glass into his hands - which he refuses, obviously. He's had more than enough to drink already. Taako's done for the night.

A little more insistence proves the glass to only be full of water, though, and he's not completely off his face, so he downs it in a few gulps and and lets whoever thinks they're playing nurse wipe off his makeup and lie him down on his side.

Something cold presses against his forehead, and then he's drifting into darkness.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! And while you're waiting for the next part, make sure to check out [this lovely piece of fanart](http://lexicals.tumblr.com/post/171143030596/tmvagabond-little-ghost-little-ghost-the-one) by tmvagabond over on tumblr! I love the attention to detail with all the photos on the wall, can't believe I forgot to link it before now


	15. Exchanges, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And a thousand ways to have that care shown back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One day, I will go back to 2-3k chapters. Not today though.

 

Taako wakes up on the sofa with a splitting headache and a blanket bunched up around his knees, and rather than attempting to open his eyes, groans and turns his face into the seat cushion to escape the light stabbing at his corneas through the windows. Too much wine. Definitely, definitely too much wine. And... vodka? Bourbon? His mouth tastes like a cocktail from hell.

"You're awake, then," comes an amused voice from over to his left, and he groans again and pulls the blanket up over his face.

"No. Fuck," he grumbles, flipping over to face the back of the sofa for good measure. _Fuck_ , it's bright. "What - shitting time is it?"

"Only about eleven. But you did get back at four." He hears a book being set down on the table, and then the click of shoes on hardwood. "Anythin' you need? Hair of the dog that bit you, perhaps?"

"Ghfuckoff," Taako grumbles into the seat cushion, then swallows his pride and turns his head carefully to one side just enough to speak clearly. "Should be aspirin in the - one of the cupboards. Little box. Please."

"Well, since you asked nicely," Kravitz snickers, and Taako hears the door swing open as he leaves the room.

After a minute, he swallows down the worst of dizziness and nausea and lifts his head to take a look around. There's a mixing bowl on the floor next to the sofa, and the curtains are (surprisingly enough to his senses) drawn mostly shut. The second Caleb Cleveland book is lying on the table almost finished, on top of the first entry in the series and next to a full glass of water.

...Had Kravitz been sitting here with him all night?

He gingerly lies down again and pulls the blanket back over his head. It feels like something's squeezing his chest, which is a new one as far as hangover symptoms go, but then last night had been pretty wild. He thinks Merle tried to flirt with a houseplant at some point, and Magnus might have thrown someone's dog into a swimming pool. It's all kind of blended and blurry like somebody's shredded his mental film reel of the evening and roughly pasted some of it back together.

Kravitz returns a moment later and gently nudges his shoulder. "Here, I got you fresh water as well," he says, holding out a new glass along with the box of pills as Taako pulls the blanket back down. He sits up long enough to take them both and swallow a couple of aspirin before lying down again and covering his eyes with his forearm.

It's quiet for a minute. Kravitz sits down and picks up his book again, and goes back to his reading.

"...Why're you so nice to me?" Taako mumbles eventually. The sound of a page turning stops short.

"Does there have to be a reason?" Kravitz asks. Taako shrugs.

There's a slight shifting noise, and the sound of fingers tapping on a hard cover. "I believe I've already explained this," Kravitz says softly. "I have nothing but time, and..." He cuts himself off with a sigh. "You're my friend. I care about you and your wellbeing. Is that not enough reason?"

Taako chews his lip. Then he turns over, and pulls the blanket back up again. "I'm gonna go back to sleep," he murmurs, and hears Kravitz stand to leave.

"Alright. Just shout if you need anything."

"...Yeah."

 

-*-

 

He dozes on the edge of sleep for what he judges to be an hour or so, the same phrase bouncing around and around inside his skull in a persistent echo. _Cares about him_. Where does a guy get off saying shit like that?

That goes on in a completely unproductive whirlpool of emotion until he's finally roused by the sound of voices out in the hallway. Feeling just as god fucking shit awful as (if not worse than) earlier, he stumbles out of the living room towards the noise, and finds some weirdo stranger lugging two fairly large boxes into his house, accompanied by none other than Angus McDonald.

Taako is way too fucking hungover to be dealing with this.

"Angles, not to sound like you-know-who, but who the fuck is this and why're they in my house?" he growls, squinting against the light pouring in through the open door.

"Oh, I was just giving the little guy a hand with his stuff," replies the stranger, who's radiating some kind of personal-trainer-slash-life-coach vibe. Taako dislikes him immediately and immeasurably.

"What _stuff_?"

"Well, mister Bradson here was having a yard sale, and I bought some things from him, but they were kinda heavy for me to take by myself so he offered to carry them here for me!" Angus explains, beaming. "Isn't that nice of him?"

"You can just call me Brad--"

Taako rubs at his temples and shuts his eyes. God, he could do with another aspirin or three. "Yeah, if you could lower the volume about, like, _all of it_ , that'd be fuckin' _choice_ , Ango," he says, then waves vaguely in the direction of _Brad fucking Bradson_. "And you - you _suck_ , so if we could break up the little party goin' on here so Taako can go back to sleep, that'd be much appreciated, thank you goodbye ergo  _fuck off_."

"Well, that's - kinda rude, but I guess you're living your truth. I should be heading back anyway," Brad says, setting the boxes down at the side of the hall and turning to head back out of the door. "You have fun with that, kid."

"Thanks, mister Bradson!" Angus shouts after him, much to Taako's ever-growing chagrin.

"No worries, little man. You just yell if you ever need a hand," Brad replies with a wave, and Taako winces as the door slams shut.

"What the fuck was with that guy?" he grumbles. " _Livin' my truth._ Who says that?"

"He's a little patronizing, but he means well," Angus shrugs, then grins and points to the boxes Brad had left by the kitchen door. "Don't you wanna see what this is, though?"

"Only thing Taako wants to see right now is the fluffy side of a pillow," Taako growls, and goes to head upstairs to take a nap in an actual bed.

"Don't mind him, just got a case of the bottle-aches," Kravitz says, materialising out of the air next to Angus. Taako pauses to turn back and glare at them both.

"He means you're hungover," Angus supplies, helpfully and far too brightly for Taako's current level of photosensitivity. He presses the heels of his hands into his eyes and grinds his teeth.

"Yeah, I fuckin' - I _guessed_ , Agnes, thank you _so_ much." He turns a sour look on Kravitz, who seems much more interested in whatever it is Angus brought with him than he is. "Where were you, anyway? Thought I could count on you to keep weirdo intruders out of my house, Casper."

"Well, he was with Angus, so I reckoned he couldn't be too bad," Kravitz shrugs, then snickers and smirks over at him. "Besides, you seemed like you had it handled."

Taako heaves a deep sigh and starts trudging up the stairs again. "Fuckin' - I'm too hungover for this. You two nerds have fun, I'm gonna get back to bein' horizontal."

"You should eat something before going back to sleep," Kravitz calls after him. Taako flips him off and continues up the stairs.

"Not hungry."

Kravitz gives a sigh of his own and shakes his head. "Suit yourself," he mumbles, then turns back to Angus with a smile. "Can I see?"

Angus beams, already bouncing up and down on his feet. "Yeah! I think you'll like it, can you help me get it into the living room?"

"Kitchen's probably a better idea, it's something of a mess in there," Taako hears Kravitz say, and then their voices fade into the background as he reaches the top of the stairs and shuts his bedroom door over behind him, flopping onto the bed a little more gingerly than usual. Fuck, it's still covered in all of his discarded clothes from yesterday. That's gonna be a pain to put away again. And he's still wearing last night's outfit, _ugh_.

From downstairs comes a spate of muffled noises that quickly fade to an inaudible volume. It sounds kind of like music, Taako thinks, wondering what it is they could be messing with down there.

...Well, now he just feels left out.

And kind of hungry.

Once he's changed into some more appropriate lounging clothes and is begrudgingly heading back downstairs again, he's pretty certain that it is music he's hearing from the kitchen. And it kind of sounds like... Britney Spears?

"How's a guy supposed to sleep this off with you two making a racket like that?" he yawns on his way into the kitchen, heading straight for the freezer. Microwaved shepherd's pie is sounding real good about now. Angus and Kravitz are both standing next to the dining table next to an old 80s-era record player that's quietly singing out  _Toxic_ by Britney Spears. 

"You can hear that from all the way upstairs?" Kravitz asks, looking doubtful and maybe also a little entertained.

Taako shrugs and pops the lid off the tupperware he's pulled from the freezer before shoving it unceremoniously into the microwave. "What can I say, I've got hearing like a bat."

"So you weren't just hungry?"

"Absolutely not."

"Right," Kravitz snorts, then turns to the other box on the table, which is filled to the brim with record sleeves. "Can I put this one on?" he asks Angus, pulling one out and showing it to him. "Not that this isn't enjoyable, but Taako plays it all the time."

"Yeah, pick any of them!" Angus replies with a bright grin, having taken a seat on one of the chairs next to the table. "Mister Bradson said he's been collecting these for years, there's a lot of different stuff here."

"Jeez, kid, how much did he charge you for all this?" Taako grimaces, wandering over to take a closer look at the box. It's pretty much as full as full can get with dozens and dozens of old records. And as much as Brad  _definitely_ radiated douche energies, he at least seems to have good taste.

"Not that much, actually," Angus says mildly. "I've helped him out with a few things here and there, so he said he'd give me a discount."

"As long as you didn't let him hustle you, thought I taught you better than that," Taako murmurs, more preoccupied with leaning over to take a look at the record Kravitz thinks could beat _Britney_. "Oh, Aretha Franklin," he comments, picking the sleeve up and turning it over. "Nice. You're off the hook."

"She's good?" Kravitz asks as he slides the other record back into its sleeve.

"Hell yeah. Queen of soul, lady's a legend."

"Oh," Kravitz chuckles, placing the new record on the turntable. "I just thought she looked kinda like my ma."

"Ooh, Kravitz has a hot mom," Taako teases, sing-song. Kravitz pauses with the needle in his hand over the disc and frowns at him.

"I'll thank you not to talk about my mother like that," he says, expression drawn tight. "Especially seeing as she's been dead for an exceedingly long time."

"I'm just sayin'," Taako sniffs, just as the microwave finishes its cycle and beeps loud enough to drive daggers into his brain. He curses the thing under his breath and rubs hard at his forehead as he goes to retrieve his food. Guess that'd make sense, anyway. How hot do your parents have to be to come out with a face that pretty?

The sound of a record needle slipping across vinyl screeches from behind him at about the same instant Taako realises he'd said that last part out loud.

He doesn't turn around. It's not like he said anything that wasn't _true_ , so--

Food. His food's done. That's more important. Doesn't need to turn around and see what everyone made of that little pratfall.

"Are you okay, sir?" Angus asks quietly, only just loud enough for Taako to hear as the needle finds the track this time and Aretha Franklin's _Respect_ starts playing from the speakers.

"O-of course, yes," Kravitz replies with slightly forced brightness. "I didn't scratch it, did I?"

"I don't think so."

Taako finally deems it safe to turn around and heads over to sit on the counter with his food, still in its tupperware container. No point creating extra dishes to wash. Kravitz is focused intently on the turntable, while Angus is giving him an odd look, squinting at him like Taako knows the answer to something he doesn't. Taako ignores him and gestures towards the record player with his spoon instead.

"So? She's great, right?" he prompts, mouth full of _shit shit very hot_ mashed potato and mince. _Fuck_. Kravitz turns to give him a slightly digusted and disapproving look as he tries to air out his mouth, but nods nonetheless.

"Um, yeah, she's incredible. When is this from?"

Taako shrugs. "I'unno. Seventies?"

"Right," Kravitz murmurs, tilting his head a little as if it'll help him hear the music better. "I can see where it came from. Or - hear it. Sort of."

"What does that mean?" Taako asks, and Kravitz chews his lip and turns to look at him.

"All the music you play sounds - don't misunderstand me, it's good, and, uh, and interesting, but - it's so alien to me. This is just a little more familiar."

"It's like a halfway point, right?" Angus offers, swinging his legs under his chair.

"Well, I, uh - I don't know about halfway, but it's... definitely part of a journey." Kravitz blinks, and sits up a little like an idea has just occurred to him. "Evolution, right? Do people still believe in that?"

"Depends who you ask," Taako says flatly, then nods towards the box of records and shuffles forward a little on the counter. "What else you got in there, anyway?"

They mess around swapping and changing various records for another hour or so. There really is an impressively diverse selection of music between them, and Angus suggests after a little while that they try to organise them by date so that they can listen to them all in order. Taako's still hungover, but he almost forgets about it for a while with all the enthusiasm in the room. This is its own kind of party, really.

Nerds number one and two are halfway through discussing the intricacies of _Caleb Cleveland: Murder on the Rockport Limited_ when Angus checks his watch (what kind of ten-year-old wears a watch anyway) and gasps in horror, and quickly starts gathering his things.

"I've gotta go, I'm gonna be late for soccer practice!" he rushes as he pulls his satchel over his head and makes for the door.

"Since when do you play soccer?" Taako asks, halting him long enough to shove some leftovers into his bag. Angus whines and continues to try to shuffle away.

"Since today! I can't be late to my first practice!"

"Why not? Makes you look cooler."

"Don't listen to him," Kravitz cuts in, standing from his seat. "You shouldn't keep people waiting. But - what about this?" he asks, and points towards the record player on the table. "I appreciate you bringing it here, but how are you gonna get it home without mister Bradson? I don't see Taako carrying it back for you." He glances back over his shoulder to give Taako a dry look. "No offense."

Taako lifts a hand to his heart and closes his eyes, sniffling a little. "I'm mortally wounded," he deadpans, then opens his eyes and flicks his hand through the air indifferently, "But yeah, you can miss me with that manual labour shit. I'll just bribe the big guy to do it."

"Actually, I wasn't gonna take it home - this is a present! I'll bet you haven't had any Candlenights gifts in a while, right?" Angus says, turning a thousand-watt smile Kravitz's way. "Sorry it's so late."

Kravitz just stares at the kid for a second. "Oh," he almost whispers, glancing towards the record player and then back to Angus, eyes shining. "You-- You got..."

He remains dumbstruck for another moment, flickering in and out slightly. Then he swallows, and clears his throat, and finally manages a watery smile. "No, it's - that's quite alright. Thank you, Angus, it's wonderful."

"Um, sir? Are you okay?" Angus asks, looking worried as he goes to step closer. Kravitz coughs and ducks his head, and swipes at his eyes with the heel of his hand before moving forward to shoo Angus towards the door.

"Yes, I'm - sorry, s'just been a very long time since anyone's given me a gift," he says, still smiling, and reaches out to muss Angus' hair as he continues to herd him away. "Thank you, really. Now, off you go."

"I'll, uh, see you out," Taako mumbles, following Angus out into the hallway and pulling the door to behind him. He's not good at dealing with people when they get all mushy like that. Especially not _crying_ people, whatever the reason.

"I should've guessed it was too much," Angus is muttering to himself, fingers tight around the strap of his bag as he makes his way towards the door. At the entrance, he turns back to Taako with uncertain eyes, and asks, "He liked it, right? I usually - I like to think I'm pretty good at deducing what people will like and I feel like I get good gifts usually but he kind of looked like he was upset so I'm not sure if--"

"Nah, I think he loved it, Agnes," Taako sighs, re-mussing Angus' hair right as he finishes patting it down again and opening the door for him. "And I think you know that."

"...Yeah," Angus admits, adjusting his glasses. "Just - he seemed kind of, uh... sad. Just in general." He looks up, and there's something searching in his expression that puts Taako on edge. "Did... something happen between you two?"

Taako barks a laugh and leans against the doorframe, arms folded. "Like - like what? You think _I_ did something? Moi? This gift to humanity?"

"That's not what I asked," Angus says slowly, squinting again now. Suddenly Taako feels distinctly like a prime suspect in the "why is kravitz being fucking weird" case, and sets his jaw defensively.

He can't quite meet Angus' eyes, though.

"L-- Look, I dunno what's up with him. Guy's been all cagey and weird since day one, this is just a step up," he says, trying not to fidget under the look Angus is giving him. "Maybe he's hiding some deep dark earth-shattering secret that's killing him inside, who knows."

Angus watches him for another minute, big brown eyes intense in a way that makes Taako kind of feel like an ant under a magnifying glass, and then smiles a smile far too wise for a boy of ten years, and starts to turn away. "Everybody's hiding something, sir," he declares, almost smug, and dashes away down the path.

Taako watches him go with a frown etched into his brow. He's not sure he likes the way he said _everybody_.

 _I Say A Little Prayer_ is spinning softly onto the air as he returns to the kitchen, and Kravitz is sitting at the table next to the player. He has his arms folded on top of the wood with his chin resting on top, eyes closed and smiling to himself, just listening. It's the happiest Taako has seen him in days, and that - that shouldn't _hurt_ , but... it does. It feels like Taako should've been the one to cheer him up and he feels _bad_ about it at the same time as feeling _happy_ that he looks so peaceful all of a sudden. 

He's not used to feeling bad about things. So he _doesn't_ feel bad about things, for the most part. He definitely doesn't make a habit of feeling _guilty,_ but he's starting to realise that that's maybe why it feels like someone's implanted a lead marble behind his sternum that keeps getting heavier and heavier.

Well, that's easily fixed. He just has to one-up Angus somehow.

 

-*-

 

It takes him a little while to find an opportunity. The thing is, it's gotta be something big enough to be better than Angus' gift, but not like, _too_ big, because there's not really - there's no investment here, it's just... competition. And to make him feel better. And a little something as compensation for all the shit Kravitz helps him out with even when Taako tells him he doesn't have to. Dumb shit like that.

He stews over it at work and at home alike for two whole days, trying to figure out what you get as a gift for someone who can't eat or drink or wear clothing that's not a part of their pre-existing outfit without it falling off when they lose corporeality and who barely understands even the smallest amount of pop culture. What does the guy even _like_?

Music, for sure, and he likes the same kind of detective stories as Angus does. He likes his house, definitely. And games. Taako _should_ be able to do something with at least one of those. But nothing he can think of seems good enough.

God, what the fuck kind of present do you get for a ghost? Maybe Taako can find some, fucking - _ectoplasm_ for him to eat?

In the end, it's Kravitz himself that provides the solution. Taako comes back from work a little early in the day to find him standing on one side of the porch in the failing sunlight, squinting up at something above him with his hands buried in his pockets.

"Found a wasp's nest or something?" Taako calls over to him on his way up the porch steps, and Kravitz shakes his head a little.

"There used to be a swing here," he replies without looking over, and lifts a hand to point towards a few rusted pieces of metal clinging to the underside of the porch roof. "See the hooks where it attached?" He returns his hand to his pocket and sighs, frowning slightly. "I wonder what happened to it."

Taako lets his bag drop to the floor outside the front door before wandering over to stand next to him. "You don't know?" he asks idly. Kravitz seems to wince slightly, but the flinch is gone as soon as it appears.

"Like I said to your friends, things just... went missing. A lot of things." He drops his head and sighs again, eyes now turned towards the floor. "Who knows, maybe it just rotted away."

Taako feels a smile take over his face. "Wait, this thing was - thing was wooden?"

"Yes, why?" Kravitz asks, turning to him in bemusement. Taako shrugs and turns away, gears already turning in his head as he enters the house and roots through his bag for his phone.

"Just curious."

 

-*-

 

Three days later, a text that reads " _coming over now_ ," rattles Taako's phone in his pocket, and he suddenly realises that he needs a distraction, and fast.

"Hey, uh, Krav?" he asks, setting down the notebook he'd been scribbling new menu ideas in and turning to him where he's sat reading in the armchair across the room. "You wanna help me with somethin'?"

Kravitz glances at him curiously over the top of his book. "Hm? What is it?"

"Just - just remembered I was gonna clean out my wardrobe, come tell me which stuff I should keep," Taako explains, already on his feet and beckoning Kravitz to follow him upstairs - which he does, albeit a little warily.

"Um. Okay."

Ten minutes and five outfits or so later, Taako is parading around yet another killer look when he sees Kravitz visibly stiffen where he's sitting on the bed, his head swivelling towards the window.

"Krav?" he asks, and then jumps slightly as Kravitz quickly shushes him.

"Someone's downstairs," he says, standing and making urgently for the door. Taako immediately dashes after him with a hissed curse, intercepting him on his path and trying to herd him back with raised palms.

"Yeah, uh, it's - probably just mail or something, don't worry about it."

"No, the mail's already--" Kravitz goes tense again as a loud _bang_ and a series of scraping noises make their way up from the floor below. "What is that _noise_?"

Taako darts in front of him again as he tries to sidle past, stopping just short of physically holding him back. "N-- Hey - hey, just, wait a second there bubeleh, it's - it's fine."

"But--"

"Just - it's a surprise, okay?" Taako blurts in a last-ditch effort. "So, just trust me?"

Kravitz stills and watches him for a long moment, close enough for Taako to be reminded of what a pretty colour his eyes are at this distance. Then he sighs, closes his eyes, and turns back towards the bed again.

"Alright, I trust you" he says as he retakes his seat, flicking a hand in the general direction of Taako's outfit. "Also, you should keep those. They're nice."

"You've said that about everything so far," Taako points out, a little relieved. Kravitz just shrugs in response.

"They all look nice."

"I need _criticism_ , not _compliments_ ," Taako complains as he grabs another set of clothes and heads out of the room again, but honestly he doesn't really mind. He wasn't actually intending on throwing any of his clothes out anyway; this was only a way to keep Kravitz distracted for a minute.

To be completely candid, though, Taako's kind of enjoying being the thing to distract him.

Just - only because he likes the attention. Obviously.

Eventually, Taako's phone buzzes again, and he pulls it out almost reluctantly to scan the message:

_all done!!! hope he likes it ;)))))_

**_its not for him!! fucking DROP IT_   _wood for brains_** , he replies - then, biting back a grin, he grabs Kravitz's hand and starts to drag him out of the room. 

"H-hey-- What - w-what are you doing?" Kravitz stutters, his fingers slipping through Taako's grip in a burst of static as he pulls his hand back and holds it to his chest, bewildered and semi-vanished. Taako rolls his eyes at him and gestures towards the door impatiently.

"Surprise is done, goofus, come check it out."

"O-oh," Kravitz mumbles, rubbing at his fingers where Taako had touched them with an odd mish-mash of an expression. "Well, if you could give a warnin' first next time, you gave us a fright."

"Sure, whatever - c'mon," Taako huffs, making for the stairs and trying to ignore the healthy dose of irony in that request. A cold gust of air passes him on the way down, and by the time he reaches the bottom Kravitz is standing in the hallway looking around curiously (and perhaps a little cautiously).

"So? What is it?" 

"Outside," Taako says by way of explanation, and heads out onto the porch.

Kravitz follows close behind him, still glancing around, and then his eyes catch the new addition on the right-hand side of the space, and he stops in his tracks. Seemingly frozen, he stares for a moment before letting out a soft rush of air that Taako takes to mean that he's at a lost for words.

"Pretty rad, right?" Taako prompts, beaming in triumph. He's gotta give Magnus some credit, he really outdid himself with this. The new swing is smooth and glossy with fresh varnish, and made with a shade of deep oak that perfectly matches the rest of the porch construction. The seat section itself is simply-made with interlocking wooden slats, but along the sides and over the top of the backrest it's decorated with timeless floral designs carefully chosen to make sure it fit in with the look of the rest of the house. He's even worked some kind of oil into the varnish that Taako can just catch the smell of from where he's standing - roses, he thinks, maybe a hint of lavender. It really is a work of art, and a very impressive rush job.

But, y'know. Taako told the guy what to do.

Kravitz takes a few halting steps forward, then crouches down and reaches out to run his hand carefully over the intricate patterns curling along the sides of the swing. "It's - it's beautiful, where in the world did you get it?" he asks, awe in his voice. Taako gives a shrug in response, then realises Kravitz is too absorbed with admiring the swing to see it and tries to play the whole thing off with as little fuss as possible. It's not like he did this for any special reason, after all.

"Mags owed me a favour. He's pretty good at the whole carving shtick," he says, twirling a finger into his hair. Kravitz's fingertips trace the petals of an unbloomed rose, and then move down its stem towards a daisy sitting below it.

"Taako, this is..." There's a small, shaky intake of breath, and then a deep exhale. "Thank you."

"Hey, who - who said it's for you?" Taako scoffs, "I'm gonna use this for nap time once we get some actual heat around here." He folds his arms and pulls at an earring, wetting his lips with a shrug. "Guess I wouldn't mind if you used it the rest of the time, though. Just - if you felt like it."

Kravitz lets out a laugh, breathy and soft, still enamoured with the flow of carved wood under his fingers. "That's generous of you."

"Well, uh," Taako starts, moving past him and dropping onto the seat to give the thing a few experimental swings. It barely even makes a sound under the strain, of _course_. "Consider it, uh - recompense, for the other day. You helped me out a bunch and I never really - y'know. Said thanks properly."

"Well, I wasn't about to leave you three sheets to the wind and laid out on the floor," Kravitz says with an awkward smile, seeming a little embarrassed. "But, um - you're welcome."

Taako nods a few times and pushes the swing slightly harder, watching his feet breeze past the floorboards as he moves. "Yeah, I mean - just for future reference though, remember that - okay, next time? You _can_ just let me die," he tells Kravitz, hitting him with a deadly serious look. "I'm not - I'm no expert, but I'm pretty sure waking up as a ghost has gotta be better than waking up with a headache like that."

Kravitz laughs again, enough for that lopsided grin to come out almost in full force, and the weight in Taako's chest gets a little bit lighter.

 

-*-

 

That evening, when Taako's sprawled out across his bed watching a cooking show on his laptop and silently judging everyone involved, there's a small and careful knock on his door, accompanied by a soft, "Um, Taako?"

"Yeah?" Taako responds, quickly pausing the show and turning towards the door. "What's up, ghost rider?"

The door swings open a crack, and then a little more, and Kravitz pokes his head through, cautious. "Um. Do you--" He pauses and drums his fingers along the side of the door, eyes flicking between Taako and the floor by his feet. "Do you want to come sit? Out-- Outside?" he asks, flickering slightly as he does. "It's just - it doesn't feel right with just one person."

Taako pushes himself up completely to look at him better. "Oh, sure, uh - yeah. Yeah. Just gimme a minute to layer up."

"Ah, um. Great. I'll be downstairs," Kravitz breathes, seeming to drop some of the tension from his frame, and he quietly closes the door again.

A couple minutes later Taako is wrapped up in at least twelve layers against the chill and ducking his way outside under Kravitz's arm as he holds the door open for him.

" _Shit_ , it's cold," he hisses, pulling up his scarf against frigid night air hitting his face. Kravitz's expression turns suddenly very brittle, and his eyes drop away towards the floor.

"Ah, is it? My apologies, then, that was a selfish request. Please don't feel the need to stay out here."

Taako clamps his jaw shut to stop his teeth chattering and shoulders past him onto the porch. "I'm out now, Krav, no point turnin' back halfway."

"Oh, well - if, if you're sure," Kravitz replies as he stumbles after him towards the swing and sits down next to him.

"If I wasn't sure I wouldn't be doin' it, Casper," Taako says decisively, rubbing his hands together for a second before sticking them deep into his pockets.

For a minute, they lapse into awkward silence. Kravitz taps his fingers against the armrest on his side of the seat, and Taako sucks at his teeth, neither of them looking at each other. 

"I've always loved sitting out here at night," Kravitz says eventually, breaking the quiet. "It's calming."

"It's pretty," Taako concedes, leaning forward to get a look at the part of the sky that isn't covered by the porch. It's a cloudless night, and the stars, as much as you can see them this close to the city, are scattered over the sky like lost diamonds. Out of his peripheral vision, he sees Kravitz nod to himself.

"Something about the stars, isn't it? They have a way of making you feel so small." Taako nods back in response, and after another moment of quiet, Kravitz continues uncertainly. "I - I think it's comforting, in a way. No matter what happens to any of us, they're always there, looking down." He pauses, and the next part comes out softer than before. "Makes you wonder if they know how much people think of them."

"I mean, they're just big balls of fire," Taako says without much feeling. "I don't think they know much."

Kravitz laughs, awkwardly and more than a little uncomfortable-sounding. "I - I know. I just think there's something spiritual about them. They're ancient, and unfathomable, and - unfeeling, but there's _something_ about them. Something people connect with," he says. Taako turns to give him a skeptical look, and he shrugs slightly. "I'm romanticising, I know, but you can't deny they're powerful, somehow. The sheer scale of it all."

"I guess."

Everything goes quiet again. Taako leans back again in his seat, risking a brief sideways glance as he settles himself, and suppresses a wince when he sees the expression on Kravitz's face. He looks like he regrets ever inviting him out here - and why wouldn't he? All Taako's given him so far are a few dispassionate scraps of conversation in response to something that's clearly important to him.

It's not like he doesn't understand the fascination - the whole thing about the stars and the universe and everything out there. He used to fantasize about becoming an astronaut on a spaceship and leaving the whole planet behind, before he got attached to people other than Lup.

Always trying to run away.

"...We, uh, got people up there, y'know," he mumbles, feeling like he should try to make at least a little effort here. Kravitz glances over at him with a curious tilt to his head.

"Up...?"

"Y-- Y'know, space," Taako elaborates, gesturing vaguely. "There's footprints on the moon now."

Kravitz studies him for a moment like he can't decide whether Taako is fucking with him or not, then smiles slightly and shakes his head. "The _moon,_ " he echoes, chuckling a little. "People all the way out there and I can't make it out of my own home."

"What, an ocean isn't far enough for you?" Taako snorts. "Farther than a lotta people get."

He looks over to see another flash of a smile, caught in profile as Kravitz looks down at where he's fidgeting with his hands. "Fair point."

Another moment sees that smile turn to a pensive frown, and their eyes meet for just a second as Kravitz briefly glances back at him.

"Taako, I have to confess, I - I did have something to say, when I asked you to come out here," he admits, turning his face even further away so that all that's visible is the curve of his eyelashes and the line of his cheek, highlighted in moonlight against the darkness.

All of a sudden Taako's heart is beating a mile a minute. 

"W-- Well, uh, just - go ahead and say it then, Casper," he says, leaning back even further in his seat and crossing his foot over his knee. "Don't have to make a thing of it."

"R-right," Kravitz says with a tiny half-laugh, turning back to look at his feet instead.

Taako finds himself holding his breath. 

"I just wanted to thank you for doing all this," Kravitz says quietly, rubbing his thumb along the edge of the seat.

A vice-grip releases itself from Taako's throat, and he can't tell if he wants to sigh out of relief or disappointment.

"For - for doing what?" he asks, genuinely puzzled both at that statement and at himself, and Kravitz shakes his head and shrugs like he couldn't even begin to answer that question.

"Just - everything. Talking to me, letting me meet your friends, showing me all these new things, teachin' me how they work." He passes a hand over the armrest of the swing, lingering over the carvings again on the way. "You didn't have to do this, either, it's - it was really very kind of you."

Taako sits frozen for a little while, unsure of how to react. Very few people have ever accused him of being _kind_.

"Lis-- Listen, if I've got the - the opportunity to put a swing on my house, I'm gonna put a swing on my house," he manages after a minute, deciding the best course of action is to keep things cool. Kravitz laughs softly.

"Right, but the rest. I really do appreciate it." He turns to face him and smiles, and it only looks a little sad around the edges. "It's nice just havin' someone to talk to, even without everything else."

"Well. You're welcome, I guess," Taako tells his knees, unable to hold eye contact for long enough to reply. Then he takes a breath, and scratches at his ear. "I don't really like being on my own either, so... thanks back, I guess."

"...You're welcome, too, then," Kravitz replies gently, and then everything falls silent again.

But, it's not an awkward silence. It's just... quiet.

They sit together for a while in the dim moonlight, swaying back and forth gently and watching the section of sky visible between the porch overhang and the horizon. The night air is cold, but bundled up as Taako is he doesn't really feel it, and Kravitz gives no indication that it bothers him. It's probably about the same temperature he is anyway. His breath doesn't so much as make a whisper of sound as it leaves his mouth, while Taako's creates regular clouds of fog in front of his face. Another reminder of the ever-present veil between them.

Out of the corner of his eye, Taako considers the mystery of a man sitting next to him. He has one leg drawn up onto the seat, the other making just enough contact with the floor below by the ball of his foot to keep them swinging. That's something that strikes Taako as odd - why bother with that when he could move the whole thing with just a thought?

Maybe it makes him feel more like a living person to do things with his own limbs instead of some mysterious power. Maybe it's harder for him to move things than he lets on. Maybe it's just a habit. He is a being defined entirely by the memory of living, after all.

Vaguely, Taako wonders what it's like to exist as an epilogue to a life that came before. Or maybe that's a harsh descriptor. Kravitz is still a person, right? It's not like he exists any less for having died, he still has a mind and feelings. Maybe it's better to define whatever continuation of consciousness this is as just a different way of living. A held note at the end of a song.

Taako realises he's ended up staring and looks away towards the sky again. Not like him to start waxing poetic about existential bullshit. It's just strange, being faced every day with a reminder of the inevitable, while at the same time being shown living (or at least sentient) proof that death may not be the end. That's gotta push anyone into some philosophical musing - especially with a backdrop like this. The soft glow of the city, blending into a dark sky and further still to a thousand far-away stars.

"There aren't as many as there used to be," Kravitz says after a while. "Stars, I mean."

Taako shakes his head, not looking away from the distant lights. "Nah, there are. You just can't see 'em so much. Light pollution," he says, but that only seems to make Kravitz want to study those that are left all the more closely.

"That's a shame. We used to love sitting out here and looking at them all," he replies, more focused on watching the sky than on what he's saying. "They're just about the same, even on the other side of the ocean."

"...Who's 'we'?" Taako asks carefully, wondering whether if he treads lightly enough he might get an answer.

Kravitz's face immediately closes off, and he turns away.

"Just... people."

Guess not then. Resigned, Taako stands and moves forward a few paces to lean on the porch railing and look up at the sky. "Well, they might not be the same, but they're still beautiful, right?"

"...Yeah, they are," Kravitz sighs, a little sadly, and preoccupied as Taako is he doesn't think to turn and see that the stars aren't the focus of his gaze at all.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! You know I couldn't go this whole way without including at least _one_ sappy stargazing trope


	16. Roots

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kravitz gets a cooking lesson, and Taako gets more than he bargained for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter features an old folk song partway through! The lyrics I've included here are a combination of a couple of different versions, but you can listen to one version of it [here](https://youtu.be/nttAkTh_RP8) if you want to get a feel for how it sounds

 

The house is rarely silent, after Angus brings his gift. Kravitz burns through the whole box of records in less than a week, and once Taako realises he's repeating albums he shows him how to look up more music online to listen to, if he wants. Which he does, voraciously. Turns out he'll listen to just about anything once, even if he doesn't like it in the end - calls it 'enlightening.'

Taako comes in one time to find him playing a hardcore metal album at a far lower volume than it should ever be experienced, listening intently with a contemplative frown on his face. When Taako asks him what he thinks of it, he frowns harder, is silent for another minute, and then says, quietly and still staring hard at the screen like it contains the answer to all the world's problems, "are these even  _words?_ "

Two minutes later, when Taako's finished laughing, he tells him he can find the lyrics online too. Kravitz still insists he can't understand a single word even after doing so, but he keeps playing the album anyway, much to Taako's delight. What's better than knowing a ghost that's into _death metal_?

Today, though, he's back to another Aretha Franklin record, mouthing along silently and scrolling through what is most likely wikipedia while Taako makes a start on a soup he can divide up and keep in the freezer for emergencies. Which is to say, for hangovers and days when he can't be fucked cooking anything and doesn't want to eat any more hot pockets.

First order is to chop up some onions, which in theory shouldn't be hard, but - _god_ , his eyes are stinging already. You'd think his tear ducts would've built up an immunity by now, but no; stupid things hit him just as hard every time. Lup always used to say it was because he never let himself cry at any other time, so he had more to let out than everybody else. Like she could talk.

His vision blurs over again, and he blinks a few times to try to clear his eyes before giving an exasperated sigh and turning to wave the knife in Kravitz's direction. Normally he'd just power through and get it done quickly, but with this many to dice he's better off just getting the guy with onion immunity to do it. It's not like they have to be chopped particularly well to be blended into soup.

"Hey, you can't - _fuck_ \- you can't - you can't smell, can you?"

"Not a part of my current skill set, no," Kravitz replies absently, still scrolling.

"Oh, fucking fantastic. Come chop these bullshit hell vegetables for me?" Taako sniffs, setting down the knife and wiping at his eyes with his forearm before stepping back to give Kravitz the floor as he closes the laptop and makes his way over. 

"All getting too much for you, is it?" he asks with a small smirk at Taako's quickly-streaking eyeliner. Taako flips him off.

"I can't deal with fucking onions. Little shits have it in for me," he huffs, going to the sink to run his hands under some cold water.

Kravitz takes the knife from the board and picks up where Taako left off, stopping briefly to look enquiringly at the blade before carrying on again.

"Sharp knife," he comments mildly. Taako turns off the faucet and shakes his hands off a little, then gets bored and just wipes them on his pants, shrugging.

"What kinda chef uses blunt knives?" he scoffs. "Normally I'd say watch your fingers, but I don't think you're gonna get any blood in my food if you slip up, so."

"I'd say that's unlikely, yes," Kravitz snickers, pushing aside half an onion with the flat edge of the knife and starting on another.

It's an oddly quick and professional movement, and it catches Taako's attention, has him watching a little more closely. There's actually not much wrong with Kravitz's technique at all, besides him needing to get his finger off the back of the knife. He's not at Taako's level, for sure, but he's pretty good.

"Hey, you're not bad with that," Taako observes as he wanders back over. Kravitz stops mid-slice, and looks over at him and then down at his hands like he's only just seeing them.

"Oh, uh. Yeah, I guess so."

"So is there anythin' you're like, _not_ good at?" Taako asks, leaning back onto the counter. "'Cause I gotta say a lesser being than yours truly might be feeling a little inferior by now."

Kravitz shrugs a little and returns his attention to the onions, moving a little slower now than before. "I, uh, did a lot of odd jobs when I was younger. Had to eat somehow, so I just - learnt whatever I had to do," he explains, not sounding particularly opinionated on the subject. Taako snorts to himself and raises an eyebrow at him.

"And you just ended up being good at all of it?"

Smiling, Kravitz shakes his head and continues chopping. "No. Just a quick study."

"Riiight," Taako snickers. "Whatever you say, mister perfect."

"I think you of all people can testify that that's not true," Kravitz chuckles. "Plus, just because I can cut some vegetables doesn't mean I can cook. I'm no chef, believe me."

"You're kidding," Taako says with a scandalised gasp. "Casper the multitalented ghost can't cook? I think you're - think you've gotta be lyin' to me, my guy."

"I'm really not," Kravitz laughs, a little pained. "My mother was amazing, could make something good out of just about anything, but I never quite picked up the knack for it. I was only ever allowed to cut things up like this - absolutely hopeless."

"You've gotta be able to cook  _something_ edible," Taako frowns. It's not like they had microwave meals or instant noodles back in the day. Maybe he just starved to death, wouldn't that be ironic?

"There's a difference between edible and _good_ ," Kravitz grimaces. "Trust me, you wouldn't _want_ to eat anything I made. I'd've offered to help out by now otherwise."

"Well, if I offered to teach you now it'd just sound like I want you to do more shit for me," Taako says, pouting a little. Normally he'd be okay with that - taking advantage of opportunities (and people) like this is how he got this far - but Kravitz is always so nice to him it makes him feel shitty to pull that kinda thing.

Except, Kravitz actually seems intrigued by the suggestion, pausing in his work to look over at him.

"Oh - no, not at all," he says, completely earnest as far as Taako can tell. "I'd like to try learning, if you'd be willing to teach." He gives an awkward laugh and carefully scratches at his eyebrow with his free hand. "I have given you prior warning that I'm really starting out from less than a goose egg here, though."

"Well, I can - I'm sure we can get you past _edible_ , at least," Taako replies, finding to his surprise that he's actually pretty engaged with the idea himself. It even sounds kind of like fun.

They lapse back into silence as Kravitz smiles warmly and goes back to steadily making his way through the rest of the onions. He keeps having to stop occasionally to brush his hair back behind his ears, and Taako wonders idly why he doesn't just tie it up, but he's not gonna question it. The motion of his fingers carefully tucking back dark curls of hair, and the swoop of the curtain they create as they slip forward, is a pleasant one to watch.

He shakes himself and tears his eyes away, determinedly pushing down a few unhelpful thoughts and blinking some persistent afterimages from his vision. "So, what - what kinda thing did your mom make?" he asks, more to break the silence than anything else. Kravitz lifts his head and blinks over at him, clearly having zoned out.

"S-- Sorry, what?"

"Y'know, when you were a kid," Taako elaborates, bouncing his leg as he speaks. "Like - people always have some dish they say tastes like home, right?"

Kravitz looks at him like a deer in headlights for a second before quickly breaking eye contact. His shoulders have gone tense across their breadth, and Taako thinks he must've stumbled across one of those invisible tripwires that makes him clam up all of a sudden - but instead Kravitz taps the knife carefully against the chopping board a few times, thoughtful, and asks, "What's yours?" 

"Ask an orphan what tastes like home, classy," Taako responds flatly, and Kravitz immediately winces.

"Shit, I - sorry. I didn't really - didn't think that one through, I just--"

"Don't - don't twist yourself up, bubeleh, I was just givin' ya shit," Taako tells him, already feeling kinda bad about throwing out a snap reaction like that. Snark is always his default setting, but he knows the guy didn't mean to offend.

Honestly, in all his time cooking he's never really considered that question with regards to himself before. Mainly because home was never really something he thought he'd had, but... there was one place that came close.

"Probably aunt Tia's turkey," he says after a minute, voice soft. "She was the only person we stayed with long enough to have more than one birthday with her, and she made it for us every year, until--"

He stops, throat tight. Of course good things never lasted.

"...Until?" Kravitz prompts gently. Taako bites at the inside of his cheek.

"She got sick," he mutters eventually, fists clenching in his sweater. "We didn't have the money to pay for her treatment."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"That was - the turkey you made the other day?" Kravitz asks cautiously.

"The very same," Taako confirms, inclining his head. Kravitz's expression softens, though there's a touch of guilt lingering underneath it. Probably from the knowledge that he'd inadvertently destroyed something of actual significance to Taako when he'd had his meltdown at Candlenights.

"She must've really loved you two," he says softly. It's a statement that takes Taako a little by surprise.

"Why d'you say that?"

"Well, I - I saw how much work you had to put in to make it," Kravitz admits, looking even more abashed now than before. "For her to do all that for you every year, that's - you must've meant a lot to her, right?"

Falling quiet, Taako picks some loose fluff from his sweater. He still misses aunt Tia - him and Lup both. She was always so nice to the both of them; always made sure they had enough to eat, always let them help with the cooking without yelling when they messed up, always let them wear whatever they wanted. Always told him he wasn't stupid just because he didn't quite think along the same pathways as other people. It was devastating for them both when she died - she was like a second mother to them.

So yeah, he supposes, she must've loved the two of them a lot. If you wanted to put it like that.

"R-- Right. Yeah," he sniffs, and shuffles a little further away from the board because he thinks the onion smell must be wafting his way to make his eyes sting like that. He scrubs at his face briefly and then waves a finger back at Kravitz, accusatory. "But - anyway, you never answered my question, huh? What's your turkey?"

Kravitz is quiet for another minute, staring down at the board in front of him. Then the tension fades from his shoulders, and he cracks a soft smile. "Eel pies," he says, looking back over at him, and laughs at the face Taako makes at that. "Don't turn your nose up! They're good if you give 'em a chance." He turns back to the board still smiling, all the way to his eyes. Whatever memory he's thinking of must be a good one.

"We used to have them on Thursdays, if we could afford them that week," he continues, almost wistfully. "And then - I could never find them here, and I didn't ever dare try making one myself." He gives a quiet chuckle and gestures around the room with the knife. "Which is why this place is still standing and not a pile of ashes."

"Maybe I shouldn't have offered to teach you," Taako muses, drawing in a breath through his teeth as if he's seriously reconsidering the offer. "I kinda wanna keep this place intact."

Kravitz snorts a laugh. "You already agreed, and I even warned you beforehand. I'll be holding you to your word." He pushes the last of the onions over to the side of the board and rests the knife next to them. "Those are all done, anyway. You need anything else?"

"Nah I've - I got it, don't worry," Taako says, moving in to pick up the board and drizzling some oil into a pan. "Kinda just wanna get this done for today."

He turns on the stove to a low heat and tips the onions into the pan, along with some shredded sage and a dash each of a few other spices, then drops a lid onto it and proceeds to forget about it for a bit while he waits for it all to soften up. In the meantime, he starts to cut up some butternut squash as well, and seeing that he still has Kravitz's attention for the moment, starts to explain exactly what it is he's doing and why, like he used to when he was still doing his live shows. Except Kravitz asks a few more questions than your average audience member, and so he gets derailed almost immediately, but Taako can't bring himself to really mind. He's happy they seem to be leaving behind some of the weird energy that's been around the last week or so.

After about fifteen minutes, Taako's phone timer goes off, and he quickly gets back to work, because he really needs to get the rest of the squash done so that it can go into the pan as well.

"Can you check on those for me? They should be soft by now," he asks, pointing Kravitz towards the pan. It's not like it's a really crucial step to be taking, but Kravitz said he wanted to learn, and little things like this are a start. That was how Taako picked up everything he got from his aunt.

"Oh - yeah, sure," Kravitz says, heading straight over without hesitation.

"Thanks."

A second later, Taako hears the sound of a pan lid hitting the counter with a clatter and turns to see Kravitz swaying on his feet, shaking his head as if to clear it and blinking like somebody's just flashed a bright light in his eyes.

"Taako, what... what's in this...?" he asks weakly, his speech sounding almost slurred. Taako sets down the knife and takes a tentative step towards him, concerned.

"It's - it's just veggies, my dude. You okay?"

Kravitz shakes his head a little harder, stumbling slightly towards the counter. "M'd-- Dizzy."

Taako watches him in mounting confusion. The only thing Kravitz did was take the lid off the pan, so - it's gotta be something in there, right? That's all it could be.

He mentally runs through the ingredients, trying to think for the life of him what could be in _soup_ that would be hazardous to a ghost, and lands on--

"Ohh shit, there's _sage_ in this. Bet that's what's fuckin' you up," he murmurs, eyes on the steam curling off the pan and dissipating into the air. He turns back to Kravitz, who's leaning heavily on the counter and looking like he might soon relocate to the floor, and offers out an arm. "Let's get you, uh - not in here. You need a hand?"

Kravitz makes a small noise of affirmation and all but collapses into him, only partially solid and eyes glassy. Taako drapes his arm around his neck so he can support him (not that he really weighs anything) and tries to move him towards the door and out of whatever fumes are messing up his whole deal, but it's a pretty awkward process given that touching any part of him is like trying to handle candyfloss with wet hands. Eventually, though, he manages to get him at least into the hallway and lets him slide onto the floor to slump against the wall.

Kravitz's hand trails along his forearm as he lets go, leaving a static tingling behind it, and Taako watches his eyes go wide.

"Your skin's so soft," he murmurs, awed. "It's like silk."

Taako finds himself flushed for some reason. Steam, probably, from the kitchen. Or - from the exertion of getting the guy out here. Right. "Good moisturiser. Can't beat it," he says casually, looking away. When he doesn't get a response, he glances back again, but Kravitz is just staring absently at his hand.

"...Oh-kay. Well, I'm gonna go turn the stove off before everything catches fire," Taako says, making to leave, but Kravitz quickly flails at his arm and turns pleading, unfocused eyes on him.

"N-no, don't - don't leave. Please," he says, fingers tangled loosely in Taako's sleeve. Taako stares at him for a second, and almost pulls away, but... fuck, how's he supposed to do that with a look like that fixed on him? Or at least, near him. Somewhere around where his head is.

"Uh, okay. Sure," he mumbles. He steps closer and carefully settles himself on the floor next to where he'd left Kravitz, and to his surprise, Kravitz slides down the wall until his head is resting on his shoulder and starts playing with a lock of his hair.

"It _is_ soft," he breathes, twirling a piece between his thumb and forefinger.

"Y-- Uh, you good, Casper?" Taako asks disconcertedly. Kravitz sighs heavily and starts carefully combing out some of the tangles with his fingers.

"It's so quiet when you're not here. I always miss you, I wish I could go with you," he murmurs. "I was readin' about - about aeroplanes now, we could go anywhere. I could show you London - o-or at least the bits that are still the same. That'd be fun, right? I'd think it was fun." He turns his head so that his face is pressed into Taako's shoulder and huffs a frustrated noise. "Can't even go out to eat with you. Stupid - fuckin' house," he grumbles, barely audible through the fabric covering his mouth, and the rest of his continued rambling gets completely swallowed by it.

Taako just goldfishes for a second. Sure, having an attractive guy hanging on his arm like this is nice and all, but this is such a far cry from Kravitz's usual demeanour it's kind of unsettling. "Hey, you're, uh - you're kinda out of it, huh?"

Kravitz is too busy nuzzling into his shoulder to pay him any mind. "You're so _warm_ ," he whines as he wraps his arms around Taako's waist and presses into him - _through_ him, in fact, not being corporeal enough to avoid phasing into him a little. The overlap is freezing and buzzes through Taako's skin like a low-energy wire, and a nervous laugh escapes his mouth as he realises that Kravitz is, essentially, tripping _absolute balls_ right now.

"Boy, that stuff hit you good," he giggles quietly, still not quite sure how to react to this but feeling like he's almost kind of enjoying it. "It's four-twenty blaze it time in here."

Lifting his head, Kravitz frowns vaguely in his direction. "It's... ten."

"Ten-thirty, actually. But you're still blazin'."

Kravitz pushes himself back so he's sitting upright again, swaying slightly, eyes turned his way but looking straight through him - as if Taako is the one that has issues with opacity. "Oh, it's late. Is Mira back yet?" he asks, gaze drifting towards the front door.

Taako stares at him as he starts to drag himself to his feet. "Who?"

"She - she should be - back home by now," is all Kravitz says in response, already moving unsteadily away from him using the wall for support.

Curiosity thoroughly piqued, Taako finds himself trailing behind as Kravitz stumbles towards the front door and staggers through it onto the porch, where he flops down to sit on the steps and stare towards the road. It takes Taako a second to get out there as well seeing as he actually has to  _open_ the door, but once he does he sits down next to him and glances towards whatever point in the middle distance Kravitz is staring at before turning back to him.

"Hey, Krav, who's Mira?" he asks again, feeling like if he's ever gonna be able to successfully grill the guy, it's gotta be now. Kravitz doesn't look away from the road.

"I just have to stay here. She'll come back when she's ready."

Taako's heart sinks a little. If this is somebody Kravitz knew when he was alive... well, she has to be long, long dead by now. "I don't know if she will, bubeleh," he offers, and is surprised by the gentleness he hears in his own voice.

"She always comes back. I have to be here," Kravitz says firmly, though his eyes are still somewhere else. He continues to stare towards the road, and Taako contents himself to join him for a minute before he glances back over. When he does, he almost does a double take. Kravitz is crying, silently, the tears rolling down his cheeks and disappearing when they leave his skin, seemingly without his notice.

"...Krav? Kravitz? You okay?" Taako tries, more unsettled by the minute. So this had been kind of funny to start, and he desperately wants to know what the deal is with this runaway woman Kravitz is talking about, but the situation is starting to take a real turn for the uncomfortable. 

"What if something happened to her?" Kravitz whispers, starting to rapidly flicker in and out ever so slightly. "She always comes back. Why wouldn't she--? It's been - i-it's been... I don't..."

He trails off, and the tears continue to run unnoticed and vanish before they can fall. Taako swallows a lump building in his throat at the look of sheer, heart-wrenching _loss_ written across Kravitz's face. Fuck, what _happened_ here?

"I don't know, Krav, I'm sorry," he says softly. "I don't know who you're talking about."

He wishes he did. It's the first time Kravitz has ever mentioned anyone he knew by name - mentioned anyone outside of his parents, even, and Taako's curiosity is burning. Even besides that, the fact that it's upsetting him so much is hard to watch, and it feels like he can't even begin to offer any comfort without knowing anything about what's going on. And he wants to, he realises, he really wants to help soothe whatever wound this is. He carefully sets a tentative hand on Kravitz's shoulder, but he doesn't so much as twitch, only keeps staring towards the road. It's like Taako isn't even there.

He draws his hand back and wraps his arms around himself, shivering slightly in the chill. He really hopes this isn't gonna be a permanent state of being for the guy - it's gotta wear off eventually, right? The thought of not having Kravitz ever go back to normal is an upsetting one in itself. But all he can do is wait and see.

It's in the silence that he catches the barest hint of a voice on the air, and realises Kravitz is quietly whispering to himself, his lips only moving just enough to see.

"Farewell... my..." he murmurs softly. Taako leans in to try to catch the words, but no more come.

"Krav? Come again?"

"She won't sleep," Kravitz mumbles, brow creasing.

"Krav, you're kinda freakin' me out here, babe," Taako says with a small, uncertain laugh. "Farewell to who?"

Some realisation lights behind Kravitz's eyes, and he sits up a little straighter as they widen. "The sailor."

"Y-- What?"

Kravitz takes a long, deep breath, and closes his eyes. Then he starts to sing, calm and clear and beautiful like bright crystal. Taako finds himself holding his breath for fear of shattering it.

 _"T'was on one stormy winter's night, the snow lay on the ground,_  
_A sailor boy stood on the quay, his ship was outward bound,_  
_His sweetheart standing by his side, shed many a silent tear,_  
_And as he pressed her to his breast he whispered in her ear,_

 _"Farewell, farewell, my own true love, this parting brings me pain,_  
_But you will be my guiding star till I return again,_  
_My thoughts shall be of you, my love, when storms are raging high,_  
_So fare you well, remember me, your faithful sailor boy._

 _"And with the gale the ship did sail, he kissed his girl goodbye,_  
_She watched the ship sail out of sight while tears bedimmed her eye,_  
_She prayed towards the stars above to guide him on his way,_  
_And the tender words her lover spoke re-echoed round the bay,_

 _"Farewell, farewell, my own true love, this parting brings me pain,_  
_But you will be my guiding star till I return again,_  
_My thoughts shall be of you, my love, when storms are raging high,_  
_So fare you well, remember me, your faithful sailor boy._

 _"But sad to say the ship returned without her sailor boy,_  
_He died while on the voyage home, the flag was half-mast high,_  
_And when the sailors came on shore to tell her he was dead,_  
_The letter that they gave to her, the last line sadly read,_

 _"Farewell, farewell, my own true love, we'll meet on earth no more,_  
_But soon we'll be from storm and sea, on that eternal shore,_  
_I hope to meet you in that land, t_ _hat land beyond the sky,_  
_Where you'll no more be parted from, your faithful sailor boy."_

After that, Kravitz falls completely quiet, tear after tear trailing down his face to drip from his jaw into nonexistence.

"Kravitz?" Taako asks softly, loathe to break the silence. Part of him hadn't wanted the song to end, he'd been so captured by the performance, and that same part had hoped if he stayed quiet Kravitz might start up again, but he also really wants to get to the bottom of this - whatever it is.

"It was her favourite," Kravitz murmurs, subdued now.

"Whose?" Taako presses. A tiny voice in the back of his mind worries that he might be pushing too far, but he snuffs it out and keeps going. "Mira's?"

Kravitz doesn't answer. Instead, he makes a quiet, pained noise and bunches his hands into his hair at the back of his head, eyes screwed shut and jaw clenched as he curls forward and in on himself. His breathing turns irregular and laboured, and his form shaky and unstable.

"Kravitz?" Taako tries again, now wishing he'd kept his mouth shut. But Kravitz seems to have moved completely out of reach.

"Please... please come back... I'm sorry..." he chokes out, body stuttering violently in and out through shudders and sobs while Taako can do nothing but watch. This isn't funny or interesting or _anything_ any more; it _sucks_. All he can think is that he really, really hopes this is something that's gonna wear off, and soon.

A tremor or two passes through the house behind him, the lights casting erratic shadows across the grass in time with Kravitz's flickering. Carefully, Taako reaches out and places his hand so that it sits between Kravitz's shoulder blades whenever he reappears, and gently rubs along his back.

"Boy, we need to get you some therapy," he mumbles to himself, and waits.

Slowly, the flickering gets less and less severe, and eventually stops entirely. Taako quickly pulls back his hand as Kravitz opens his eyes and blinks a few times before releasing his hair, sitting up straight and glancing around in confusion. He catches sight of Taako next to him almost immediately and gives him a look of wide-eyed bewilderment.

"T-- Taako? When - h-how did I get out here?"

"You... don't remember?" Taako asks, wary. Is it all over? He's back to normal?

Kravitz shakes his head, seeming highly unsettled. Which - _yeah_ , Taako is too. He _remembers_ that shitshow, whereas Kravitz seems to have blacked out and come back after all the spooky bullshit was over with none the wiser. 

"No, I - I-I went to look at the pan and then everything - it all went blurry," Kravitz says, confirming Taako's suspicions. He brings a hand to his face and wipes at his cheek, then moves it away to stare at his fingers with an expression of puzzlement and concern. "Was I _crying_?"

Taako leans forward, intent. Maybe he'll get some real answers to his questions now that Kravitz is lucid again. "Uh, yeah. You were talkin' about someone named Mira. Who is that?"

Kravitz frowns at him, eyes blank. "...Mira?"

"Yeah, _Mira_ ," Taako repeats pointedly. What's the deal? Kravitz was the one who brought her up in the first place. "Who is she?"

There's a beat of silence.

"My dog," Kravitz says.

"Your _dog_ ," Taako echoes flatly, unconvinced. He feels like that was a lot of emotion to pour out for a dog, but then he'd seen Magnus bawl over accidentally stepping on his wolfhound's toe, so maybe Kravitz is just one of those people.

But his words hadn't sounded at all convincing. They'd sounded like an evasion, and Taako isn't buying it. He's about to call the guy on it, but then the smoke alarm in the kitchen reminds him of his abandoned and likely ruined meal, so he stands and waves a hand in irritation instead.

"Whatever, just - stay out here until I clear out the fumes, okay?"

"Wait - what, what fumes?" Kravitz asks, turning where he sits to watch Taako head towards the door. "What happened?"

"You got a faceful of sage fumes and started actin' all drunk an' loopy and floppin' all over me and babblin' about how soft my skin is and someone called Mira and singin' sad songs and now my food's burning so I gotta go deal with it, okay?" Taako explains in just about a single breath, stopping just long enough to say his piece while he fiddles with the door handle in agitation. Kravitz must still be a little out of it, because he only stares at him in response and starts to rapidly fade from view. An exasperated sigh finds its way out of Taako's mouth. "You good, Casper? Can I go stop the house burning down?"

Kravitz starts and nods quickly, turning back towards the road. "Y-yeah, I'm fine, sorry, I - I didn't mean to ruin your food, go ahead," he says in a rush. "Just, uh - you just let me know when I can come back in."

"Sure," Taako says with forced airiness, pushing back through the door to try to salvage at least some of his meal.

Left alone outside, Kravitz buries his face in his hands and doubles over so he can groan softly into his knees and consider maybe just disappearing for the rest of his indeterminately long existence. _Idiot_.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> It's probably fairly obvious by now that krav's backstory for this fic is gonna be mostly Original Content™, I hope that's not offputting for people. I just couldn't figure out an arrangement with the existing balance characters that fit what I wanted to do with this story, and so we have mira! I love her a lot, I hope you guys like her too (:


	17. Bloom

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some flowers will prosper even if you try your hardest to trample them.
> 
> We're the ones who decide which are weeds and which aren't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this took a little longer than I thought it would because life got Busy, but anyway enjoyyy

 

Taako wakes up, and he's alone.

It's dark outside, and there's no moon or stars to see by. Everything in the room is visible only in dull monochrome, static-coated in the darkness.

It's too quiet.

He gets out of bed and goes to the door. The hallway, too, is dark and empty.

"Kravitz?" he calls, padding along the rug towards the other end of the hall. He's found him sitting in the guest bedroom before, doing one thing or another. And he keeps the record player in there when it's not in the kitchen.

The room is empty, just like the hallway. Taako can feel himself starting to shake. It's far, far too quiet. No traffic noise, no ambient city sounds in the distance, not even a single early-rising bird. He goes back out into the hallway, opens another door, calls Kravitz's name again to no reply. Another door, another dark and empty room. The windows look out onto nothing but a pitch-black void. He calls Lup's name. Then Barry's. The air eats his words whole.

The next room looks like Lup's, back at their apartment. Darkness is seeping in through the open window, a breeze moves the curtains but fills the air with no sound.

"Lup?"

She's gone, again.

She's not in the hall, either. Or in the next room. He calls her name. He calls Barry's. He calls Kravitz, then Angus, then Ren, then Magnus and Merle and Davenport and Lucretia and  _anyone_  because every room he tries is cold and dark and empty and the void is dripping in through the ceiling and welling up through the floor and filling his lungs with silence and all the while he's  _alone_  and  _nobody_  is answering and he keeps opening door after door after door but there's nobody there there's nobody there  _there's nobody_ \--

He jolts awake as his head hits the floor, shortly followed by the rest of him as he finishes tumbling out of bed and collapses into a heap of tangled blankets, cursing and clutching his forehead.  _Fucking_ night terrors. Might be time to break out the sleepy sack again. He'd thought he was  _over_  this shit. Apparently not.

A chill grips the air in the room, and Kravitz bursts through - like literally  _through_  - the door with panicked eyes. "Taako?! Taako, are you--"

His sweep finds Taako looking back at him from the floor, half-buried in blankets, and he stumbles to a halt and glances around again. Once he seems to realise there's no actual danger in the room, he takes a couple of steps back towards the door with an apologetic look on his face. "I... Sorry, I just - I heard shouting, and..."

"S'fine, Casper. Just me," Taako sighs, letting himself slump back onto the floor. His heart feels like it's beating out of his chest and his sheets are sopping with sweat like he's just run a marathon. Kravitz steps forward, and then back again, and then wavers in front of the door, uncertain.

"...Do you need anything?" he asks eventually, worry plain on his features.

"Nnm," Taako hums noncommittally. Really, Kravitz is already helping even without purposefully doing anything. Just having someone else in the room with him does wonders for his heartrate at times like these. Even if it's not Lup. 

He lies there for another few seconds, long enough to calm his breathing a little more, then heaves a sigh and starts disentangling himself from his blankets, grumbling under his breath. "Whatever, might as well get up."

"Are - are you sure?" Kravitz asks, clearly surprised. "It's three o'clock in the morning."

"Yeah," Taako huffs. "Not like I'm gonna get back to sleep."

Kravitz nods and glances around the room again, seeming torn between leaving Taako on his own and giving him his privacy. After a moment, he drums his fingers against the side of his leg, lets out a soft exhale and re-meets Taako's eyes with a worried little half-smile. "How's about I make some tea?"

"Uh, yeah. Sure," Taako mumbles, only half paying attention as he fumbles around the bedside table and floor for his phone. "Thanks."

He finds it buried in amongst his blankets as Kravitz shuts the door behind himself - must've brought it down with him when he fell out of bed. Opening it proves even trickier than finding it, too, because his hands are sweating too much to use the fingerprint lock properly and he can barely type in his passcode with how much they're shaking. All he really wants to do is go curl up in bed and pass out again, he's exhausted, but he's never going be able to get back to sleep again in the state he's in right now.

He needs to talk to Lup. It's the only way he's gonna be able to get completely calm again any time soon. But five failed phone calls remind him that she's still out of reach for now, probably forty-thousand feet in the air on her way home. And Barry, who would be option numero dos, is up there with her. Shit.

He's still sat on the side of the bed staring at his phone and contemplating whether or not to call one of the boner squad instead when there's a soft knock at the door, and Kravitz carefully pushes back into the room with a mug of tea held  _very_  gingerly in his hands - probably so as not to leech all the heat out of it before he can hand it over.

"Here, it's - I thought chamomile would be best," he says quietly, offering the mug over, and stands awkwardly by the bed while Taako wraps his fingers around it and waits for his hands to be steady enough to drink it. After a minute, he stops worrying at his lip long enough to ask, "Are you-- Do you, um, want to talk about it? Whatever it was?"

Taako suppresses a shudder at the thought of reliving any of that pile of bullshit, and grips the mug harder. "No."

"O-- Okay," Kravitz says quickly, "Sorry." 

"It's - it's fine," Taako sighs. Deep breaths. He's fine. Lup's fine. Just a stupid fucking dream. "Just tryna calm down. I'll go back to sleep once I'm not, fuckin'--" He flaps a hand in the air by way of explanation, frustrated. He hates it when this happens. Makes him feel like all the therapy and late-night talks and all the time and energy he put into getting _over_ this was all for nothing.

Kravitz nods quietly to himself, and looks back towards the door for a second before turning back to face him. "Lis-- Listen," he says, not actually really looking at him, "I'm - sorry about last night, I-I didn't mean to - I don't remember what I said or did, but, but if I made you uncomfortable or upset you..."

Taako sips his tea with slow and deliberate care. He's determined not to think about last night. Mainly because it makes his chest feel funny in a way he is very much not into and does not want to examine. He'd gone to bed without bringing that whole episode up again, and he'd really like to keep it that way.

"S'fine, Casper, was just a little weird. More worrying than anythin' else." He presses his thumbs against the warm ceramic and rubs them back and forth in a slow, repetitive motion. "You, uh. You got a nice voice."

Kravitz watches him warily, one hand fiddling with his jacket buttons. "You... said I was singing?"

"Yeah, some song about a sailor dying or somethin'," Taako shrugs. Kravitz's hand stills, and his eyes drop away.

"Oh. That one," he murmurs.

"Yeah. What's the deal with it?"

Kravitz tilts his head contemplatively to one side, staring into the middle distance at around where the foot of the bed is. "My, um - my mother used to sing it to me whenever my dad was out on the boats. To put me to sleep," he explains, something dreamlike in his expression. Taako tries not to snort, but isn't entirely successful.

"Okay, that's kind of - I mean, no offense to your mom, but that's kind of a morbid one for bedtime," he points out, and Kravitz huffs a laugh.

"Well, she never used to sing the last part," he replies, then his face turns somber again. "Only started with the full version after he disappeared."

Taako drums his fingers against his mug. Must be nice to be able to remember your parents. And not have them be complete shitheads. But then, Kravitz must have missed his dad a lot more than Taako had ever missed either of his parents. He can't really decide which is the rougher deal, the whole loving-and-losing thing or just never having had that bond in the first place. They both seem pretty fucked, really.

"Well, it was - was pretty nice, anyway. Can see why people would've paid to hear," Taako mumbles, just to attempt some comfort. Kravitz only looks even more awkward, though.

"Thank you, I - thanks." He tugs nervously at a curl of hair, and meets Taako's eyes for just a second before glancing away again. "Did I, um, do anything else? I-I didn't say anything, um - anything weird, did I?"

Taako suddenly finds himself paying a lot more attention to his tea. "Nope. Nothin' weird. Just, y'know, usual kinda,  _I'm drunk and don't have a filter_  type stuff."

Nodding, Kravitz takes a small step back from the bed. "Right. Well. As long as it wasn't--" He clears his throat and takes another step back, turning towards the door. "As long as that's settled, I'll just--"

Taako grabs his sleeve.

"Hey."

"Y-- Yeah?" Kravitz stutters, standing stiff as a board with his sleeve still caught in Taako's grip, although it's getting less and less solid by the second. Taako quickly lets go and starts fussing with his hair instead, embarrassed. He feels stupid saying it out loud, but--

"...Can you - could you just stay here a minute?" he asks after a second, hating how small his voice sounds. "Just until I get back to sleep. It's - I can't really - can't really, uh, relax, if I'm on my own, after--"

"Taako, you don't need to explain yourself," Kravitz interrupts gently, calmer now. "All you have to do is ask."

Taako chews his lip, not looking up. "So you'll stay?"

"Of course," Kravitz replies, already closing the distance again to sit on the side of the mattress as Taako climbs properly back under the covers.

"...Nightmare, then?" he asks cautiously after a moment, tentative like he's testing a piece of unstable footing to see if it'll hold when he puts his weight on it. Taako nods slightly, and turns onto his side to face the edge of the bed.

"Kinda. Pretty much. Used to get 'em a lot, after--" His fists clench, and he tugs the blankets further up to his chin. Why is he even talking about this? He _never_ talks about this.

"...We were homeless for a while, basically," he continues quietly, despite himself. "One day Lup disappeared, and - it was for months, and I thought I'd never see her again. I was all alone, and worried out of my mind, and - even after we found her, it - I was still kinda messed up about it. For a while. And - still." He risks a glance towards where Kravitz is sitting, and then quickly looks away again before he can get too good a look at the kind, gentle gaze directed his way. "Usually she'd be here to calm me down, so. Sorry if I freaked you out."

"You don't have to apologise, I'm just glad you're alright. I thought maybe someone had broken in or something," Kravitz says, laughing shakily in relief. Then he pauses, and Taako can feel that look on him again, the one that he doesn't want to let himself really take in because he doesn't know what might happen if he did. "And, thank you for sharing something so personal. I'm sorry you had to go through all that."

Taako huffs a bitter laugh, turning his face further into the pillows. "How do you make that sound like you mean it?"

"...Because I do mean it?"

Taako doesn't reply. He's feeling tired, and vulnerable, and this is too much. Too much going on in his head, too much pressure in his chest and throat like something's trying to burst its way out. It's all just too much.

So he closes his eyes, and they sit in silence for a while. At some point, Kravitz starts humming under his breath, a sound just on the edge of hearing that's all warmth and softness and safety, and it makes sleep feel a whole lot closer than before.

It sounds like a home. Not Taako's home, but someone's. And it's not Lup, but it's enough for him to slip away again, eventually, and not wake up until sunrise.

 

-*-

 

Kravitz is still there when he wakes up, sat on the floor by the bed with a book in hand and another on the floor next to him. He doesn't notice when Taako opens his eyes, and for a minute or two Taako just watches him, the way the dawn light paints his hair and skin with soft highlights at their edges, not yet bright enough to reveal the lack of substance behind them. From this angle, he looks just like any other person. Real, and physical, and... here. Still.

"You for real have nothin' better to do than sit here all night?" Taako mumbles after a while, still slightly groggy. Kravitz starts and looks quickly towards him, and suddenly the spell is broken, because Taako can see right through him again.

"Oh, you're - good, good morning, I just - it was only, I didn't wanna leave just in case you woke up again and there was no-one here, but if you're awake then I'll just--"

He quickly gathers up his books and makes for the door, tripping over himself a little in his haste.

"Krav?" Taako calls after him, and Kravitz pauses at the door to give him a look steeped in guilty apprehension over his shoulder. "Thanks."

Kravitz's expression softens, relief diffusing through it. "You're welcome," he replies with a small, shy smile. "I can, uh, get you a coffee if you need a hand waking up."

"Actually, I think ch'boy's gonna give the daily grind a miss today, gonna head back to snoozeville," Taako says, wriggling himself back into bed. "Self care day or whatever. Ren's used to it."

"Right. Well, I'll leave you to rest, then."

Kravitz pauses, just long enough for Taako to think that he might have left, but then he adds, "Unless you still want company, that is."

Taako releases a breath against the pressure stirring up behind his ribs. Maybe he should be seeing a doctor. "Taako's good, but - thanks. Really."

"Okay. Just let me know if you need anything," Kravitz says, and shuts the door behind him.

Despite what he'd said, Taako doesn't sleep for a while. He doesn't actually really need any more, although the extra rest will help get him upright again faster.

The thing is that this isn't how things go, usually. Usually if he has a night terror, he's out of commission the next day, too tired to function after a night of worse than no sleep.

Unless somebody calms him down enough that he feels safe again. Somebody he trusts, like Lup or Barry, or a small handful of other people in a pinch. Then he can get back to sleep for long enough to be mostly functional the next day.

What's getting to him is this:

When did Kravitz make it into that handful?

 

-*-

 

He has a really good day, actually. A little veg time in bed, then a lazy breakfast of cinammon french toast followed by some good ol' netflix binging have him feeling a whole lot better by mid-afternoon. His forehead is still a little sore where he'd clocked it off the floor that morning, but it's not so bad. He's definitely had worse.

And Kravitz is still there. Always making sure he's not being a bother, seeing if Taako needs anything, just sitting with him when Taako insists that it's fine, he's fine, just get that semi-corporeal ass on the couch and watch some goddamn bakeoff for fuck's sake.

If you'd told him a month ago that he'd soon be glad of the fact that his house was haunted, he'd have laughed. And yet, he is glad. He's happy like this, even without having Lup nearby. As far as housemates go, he probably wouldn't pick anybody else even if he could.

Except for like, Gaga maybe. But that's _Gaga_.

But anyway, the bottom line is that he has a good day. He likes spending time with Kravitz, even if they're just mostly sitting in silence watching some cooking show where less than half of the contestants know what they're doing. In fact, he's had such a good day he almost feels guilty about calling in sick, really. Like, Ren's used to running the place by herself, but still. He probably _could_ have made it in if he'd tried. And part of him can't help but wonder what _Kravitz_ thinks of this, if this is making him come off as weak or selfish or lazy or--

It's stupid. When did he start feeling guilty about stuff like that anyway? He's _Taako_ , he can do what he wants. But it keeps eating at him until he can't help but open his mouth.

"...Bet you think I'm bein' real lazy, huh?" he practically blurts, midway through a history segment on some biscuit or another. Kravitz seems to have been a lot more thoroughly engaged in it than him, because it takes him a moment to register and reply to what he'd said. 

"What? Why - why would I think that?" he asks, turning to blink at him in confusion. Taako gives half a shrug in response, picking at something on his PJs. He should probably wash these sometime soon.

"Y'know, just - bunking off 'cause I didn't sleep well," he mumbles. "Abusin' my position or whatever."

Kravitz shakes his head and goes back to watching the TV. "No, I don't think you're being lazy. Sometimes you need a day to yourself."

"You ever blow off work?" Taako asks. He needs a distraction to keep him from stewing, and, well - Kravitz is here and grillable. Taako's question has him wrinkling up his nose a little, though from what emotion Taako couldn't say.

"I... tried not to," he says, diplomatic as ever. "Had to take a day sometimes, though. Or a few."

That catches Taako's interest. _This_ guy used to skip work? He doesn't seem like the type to play hooky. "How come?"

"Some, uh, recurring medical issues," Kravitz replies, scratching at his cheek with an uncomfortable expression. "Raised their head on occasion."

"Oh. That sucks," Taako says, and means it. Maybe this isn't a topic he should be prying into.

He manages about five seconds of silence before opening his mouth again. "You were sick, then?"

Surprisingly, the corner of Kravitz's mouth actually twitches up slightly at that. "Of a fashion. Nothing unmanageable, I assure you."

"Or, uh... fatal?" Taako prompts carefully. Kravitz suddenly goes very still.

"Rather personal question," he says, watching him out of the corner of his eye with an odd look on his face. Guarded, amongst other things. Still, after a moment he shrugs slightly, and turns his gaze back towards the TV. "I'd lived with it since I was a teenager, wasn't anything likely to kill me. Just a few days of, uh - well, debilitating pain, every so often. There wasn't really anything to be done about it."

"Ouch," Taako winces, feeling kind of bad for prodding. That really _does_ suck. "Not a 'pop a couple aspirin' type deal, then?"

"Sadly not," Kravitz confirms, and then shrugs again, head leaning on his hand as he continues to watch the TV. "But, a few glasses of scotch will take the edge off of most things. Or cannabis, but I believe that's illegal now."

"You had old timey _weed_?" Taako gasps, sitting bolt upright, then collapses back into the cushions with a dramatic groan. "I can't believe you were a  _cool_ old dude, what the fuck."

Kravitz heaves an exasperated sigh, looking both weary and offended at the same time. "Listen, I'm not that--"

"You're like, a hundred and whatever, my man," Taako cuts in, and he rolls his eyes.

"I - _fine_ , whatever, but I wasn't old at the _time_ ," he huffs.

"You're not denying the cool part of that equation, though," Taako points out, amused by both that and the fact that _whatever_ seems to be another new phrase that Kravitz has absorbed into his vocabulary. That's so good.

"I'm not familiar enough with the metric to comment," Kravitz counters. Taako blows a raspberry at him.

"Bull and shit. You know what cool is."

"I don't think I have an encompassing knowledge of the concept."

Taako snaps his fingers, brows lifting. "Ohh, I see how it is. You use the fancy words when you're talkin' outta your ass."

Kravitz only laughs and shakes his head at him, and Taako allows himself a smile. It always feels like an achievement to get a laugh out of Kravitz, even when it isn't actually all that hard. The sight and sound just boost Taako's mood for some reason.

It only lasts a moment before Kravitz goes quiet again, though, and his expression turns distant. "It doesn't really matter now, anyway. I don't feel much of anything any more, least of all pain," he says. "It's quite nice, in some ways."

"Body can't fail ya if you're not attached to it, right?" Taako offers, hoping to maybe lighten up the atmosphere again at least a little.

"Right," Kravitz smiles, although it doesn't reach his whole face, then gestures slightly towards the TV. "I do miss some things, though, obviously. Like being able to eat. Everything you make looks so good I kind of just want to put it in my mouth anyway, even if I can't taste it," he says with a small laugh.

"That _is_ how Taako do," Taako purrs smugly, maybe preening just a little bit. He is one of the best chefs in the city, after all. Then he stretches and gets to his feet, dusting off a few crumbs from his clothes here and there. "Speakin' of taking care of the mortal coil, though, I'm gonna go take a nice, long bubble bath. Don't even," he adds as Kravitz opens his mouth, inevitably to offer to run the water for him. "I can do it myself. You can keep watching that if you want, I've already seen it."

"W-- Uh, okay, then. If you're sure."

"Always sure, bubeleh. Don't miss me too much, mmkay?"

Honestly, Taako has met very few problems which couldn't be kept at bay for a while by a little hot water and some scented oils - that's relaxation one-oh-one. That's _basics_. And sure enough, as soon as he climbs into the newly-filled tub, he can feel all the residual tension left in his muscles from that morning start to drain away. _Damn_ , that's good. He lies there for a while just enjoying the heat, half-dozing while he works up the motivation to get to work on his hair.

As nice as the bath is, though, he kinda just wants to go back downstairs. Specifically, back into the living room where Kravitz is.

Well, he probably shouldn't be on his own today anyway, right?

So, less than an hour after he left, he's back downstairs clad in a new set of pyjamas with his hair wrapped in a towel to keep it from soaking through his shirt. Kravitz is sitting almost exactly how he'd left him, just starting a new episode as Taako comes in. 

"You're still watching that?" Taako asks - not accusatory, just curious.

"Oh, um, it's - it's interesting," Kravitz says, turning to look over the back of the sofa at him. "People don't talk the same way now, and - the history parts are..."

He goes quiet for a second as he turns back to stare at the screen, searching for the right words. "They just... they talked about my childhood like it was something foreign. It's surreal."

Taako snickers to himself as he flops down next to him. "And, y'know, the baking part of the bakeoff," he says. Kravitz gives a resigned and slightly helpless shrug.

"I've no idea what any of them are doing. I don't even know what half of the equipment does. Those stoves don't have any flames on them, how are they getting warm?"

"They're electric," Taako supplies, and earns himself a mild eye roll.

"Yeah, I had that one figured."

They continue to watch the TV for a moment, until Kravitz breaks the silence again by asking, "You'll probably want to refit the kitchen here at some point, right? Get it up to date?"

"Well, it'd be nice," Taako concedes. Now that Kravitz has mentioned it, he would actually really like a stove that worked _all_ of the time. "I can work with what's there, but it is a little janky, you've gotta admit."

Kravitz sighs, and pushes a hand through his hair. "Yeah. I've no idea when any of that was last updated."

"I mean - obviously I can leave it if you're attached to it," Taako amends quickly, seeing the forlorn look threatening to spill over Kravitz's face. "Like, emotionally I mean. I figure you're pretty spiritually attached to everything here."

"No, it's - I don't mind if you want to renovate things," Kravitz says, though he still looks a little down. "The place could probably do with some spit and polish."

"Listen, I won't do anything without running it by you first, Krav," Taako tells him, moving his head to try to meet his eyes, which have fallen towards the floor. "Promise."

Kravitz lifts his head again, and smiles at him. Genuinely, if a little sadly. "Thank you. I really appreciate that."

"Hey, it's your house too, right?" Taako offers gently. "If you wanna keep things the same, I can probably make it work."

"No, it - it really is fine if you want to change things around a little," Kravitz assures, but his eyes cloud over again as they drift back towards the TV. "It's just... it takes some getting used to, knowing that everything's moved on without you, that's all. Easy to start feeling untethered." He smooths his hand over the arm of the couch, taking care over the sections where the fabric has started to wear. "Keeping things reasonably similar would mean a lot to me."

It occurs to Taako then that Kravitz must be one of the loneliest people he's ever met. Or in the world, even. This house and the things in it really are all he has left of his life - no friends or family or anyone else. He's lived - or, existed - through Taako's deepest, darkest, most thick-rooted fear: being left completely and utterly alone.

Just the thought is enough to start Taako's throat tightening up in anxiety, so he quickly decides to switch over to a new topic. He lets his hair out of its towel and starts combing it out with his fingers, wincing a little when he realises he neglected to brush it out when it was still smooth with water and conditioner and not a rapidly-frizzing tangle of curls.

"Ugh, I'm gonna have to brush all this. Get it out of the way," he grumbles, letting his head drop back onto the back of the sofa. Having the long flowing locks is great and all, until you get to the part where you have to _deal_ with them.

"Well, um - I could do it for you? And - it doesn't look too hard to braid. Just - if you wanted it out of the way," Kravitz offers tentatively, seeming as eager to switch tracks as Taako. Taako rolls his head along the back of the sofa to look at him, surprised.

"I mean, sure. If you wanna do it."

Kravitz nods quickly. "It's - i-it's no trouble, really," he insists, then chews his lip and lets out a small, nervous laugh. "I've - honestly, I've been kind of curious as to whether it's as soft as it looks."

"I guarantee it is, bubeleh, I don't condition this shit for nothin'," Taako scoffs, telling himself that the heat rising in his face is just a leftover flush from the bath. "Go for it, just do whatever."

"A-are you sure?"

"As anything, my dude."

Kravitz shuffles slightly closer and lifts his hand, then drops it again, uncertain. Then again. Then, after a few more moments of hesitation, he finally reaches out and takes a single curl of slightly damp hair between his fingers. His body fades out a little as he frowns, fingers gaining more colour while Taako watches him curiously out of the corner of his eye.

"Somethin' wrong?"

"Sorry, it's like - I can't feel everywhere at once," Kravitz explains absently, frown deepening as he fades out slightly further. "If I don't do this, s'like the feeling is - is muted." 

"Huh. What does this feel like?" Taako asks, passing a finger just into the translucent  skin of Kravitz's cheek and quickly shaking off the strange tingling sensation that lingers even after he's pulled his hand away. Kravitz shivers in response.

"Weird. Like heat, but - electricity, too?" He lets go of Taako's hair and holds up his hand, letting it fade a little. "Do it again?"

Taako sits up and lifts his own hand, and pushes it slowly up against Kravitz's, shuddering at the sensation as it breaks the surface. There's an odd kind of resistance; a feeling like pushing your hand through the static on the surface of an old TV, and it makes the hair on the back of his neck stand up and goosebumps ripple down his arms.

"Does - does it hurt?" Kravitz asks worriedly.

"Nah. It's just weird," Taako laughs, pulling his hand back and poking his finger into Kravitz's shoulder, then his arm - then, curiously, into his side. Kravitz yelps and arches away slightly, covering his mouth.

"That--!"

Taako grins at him. "Tickles?

Kravitz nods, biting his lip. Then he leans back in again with excitement sparking in the depths of his eyes. "Do it again."

Taako obliges, pushing his fingers through the strange field of static and wiggling them around. Kravitz squirms and giggles - actually  _giggles -_  and lets Taako wave his hand through his torso until it strays up seemingly too far and he slaps it away, though not unkindly. Then he leans over and passes his fingers lightly through Taako's neck, eliciting a yelp and a slap of his own, and a retaliatory swipe, for which he receives a swipe in return, and after a few more rounds of that they've devolved into a full-fledged tickle fight, laughing and shouting and shoving each other back and forth.

Kravitz's laugh - his _real_ laugh, not the reserved, measured thing that Taako has become so accustomed to - is like a song, containing a rhythm all its own. It's loud and unbridled and littered with snorts and hiccups and tiny giggles that send Taako's stomach flipping around like a gymnast trying to break a world record. One particularly loud snort has Kravitz covering his mouth with his hands in embarrassment, which gives Taako free access to his side again to make him laugh even harder until he's crying for mercy - something Taako gives reluctantly, because all he really wants at that moment is to hear more of that laugh.

"I 'aven't -  _hah_  - shit, I haven't  _felt_  anythin' for such a long time," Kravitz sniffs as he pushes himself back upright, still wracked with the occasional aftershock of laughter. "Thank you."

Taako finds a soft smile on his face, and lifts a hand to his hair to wrap some around his finger in an attempt to hide it as he turns his face away. "S'no problem, Casper. Hundred years with no contact has gotta leave ya pretty, uh - pretty touch-starved, right?"

Nodding, Kravitz wipes away some tears still clinging to his face and smiles back at him with his hair tumbled out of place and bright eyes shining in the warm afternoon light, and Taako's breath catches in his throat.

Oh.

Oh no.

...Well, _shit_.

He feels his face flush and silently curses himself, sinking back into the cushions. A dead guy. Of course. Of course he's finally found someone he actually really likes - like,  _really fucking likes_  - and it's a fucking  _dead guy_. Of  _course_. He groans and slaps his hands over his face, which is only getting even warmer.  _Why_.

"Um, are you alright?" Kravitz asks, sounding concerned. "Did - I'm, I didn't mean to overstep, or--"

Taako laughs into his palms. "S'fine, my dude. Just questioning my life choices."

"O-oh. Any, um. Any reason?"

He lets that question sit for a minute. Does it matter, really? It's not the worst thing that's ever happened to him, right? He's gotten invested in more prickly fish than Kravitz.

But - therein lies the motherfucking problem. Flirting is one thing, but getting  _invested_  - he isn't _good_ at that. Taking things like this seriously is not part of the Taako brand.

And obviously there would be... limitations, if he were to pursue anything here. A lot of things to figure out. A lot of problems to work around.

He drops his hands and looks over at Kravitz, who's flitting quickly between different levels of transparency as he watches him with concern, fingers twitching restlessly.

What was it that Paloma had said? That it would be worth it?

...He gets the feeling this might be.

"No reason," he sighs, after a moment. "None that matters, anyway. Just bein' dramatic, you know me."

Settling into something more solid, Kravitz smiles warmly. He looks almost relieved. "I like the dramatics. You're never boring," he says, and something swells in Taako's chest. Because he has a big, _stupid_ crush on this mother _fucking_  ghost.  _Fuck_.

"You're one to talk about drama," he snorts, trying to deflect from that feeling as quickly as possible. "Don't think I've forgotten about your spook routine, now that was a fuckin' performance."

Kravitz's smile falters, and Taako resists the sudden urge to spill an apology as his eyes drop away towards the floor. "Y-yeah. Sorry, again, for, um. All of that."

Unthinking, Taako reaches over and covers Kravitz's hand with his own. "I got over that a good while back, Krav, it's chill. I didn't mean to make you feel bad," he says, aiming for reassurance.

Kravitz just looks at where their hands are touching and blinks. Panicked, Taako pulls back, and watches his expression move from surprise to... disappointment?

Right, the heat feels nice. Of course.

He forces a laugh and gently shoves at Kravitz's arm. "Hey, don't - don't look so upset! It's fine, homes, honestly. I almost miss the light shows sometimes," he assures, and Kravitz looks back up at him and smiles.

Then, he grins, and the lights go out as the curtains simultaneously snap shut, and suddenly Taako is shouting with laughter. "S-Shit! Unfair, I can't - I can't f-fight back if I can't see you!" he gasps, shoving blindly at the air. The static recedes, and the lights come back on, and Kravitz is sitting out of reach at the other end of the sofa doubled over in hysterics, eyes crinkling at the corners as he snorts into his hand.

Anyone else might call it ugly laughter; it's definitely far from elegant. And yet Taako feels his heart skip a beat or two, and the words of an old woman who knows more than she should echo in his ears, telling him that whatever he has to do is gonna be worth it.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!! This slow burn is Finally gonna spark up soon. We're not at the end of the fic though! Still got a little ways to go on that
> 
> You know the thing about ghosts, too, is that they have to put effort into physically manifesting. So like, if you _really_ wanted someone to stop tickling you, it'd be pretty easy to ollie the fuck out. I'm just sayin


	18. Jump or Be Pushed, Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nudge (or a kick) in the right direction.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Holy fuck can I ever write a chapter that ends up being just one part jesus fucking christ

 

Taako spends the rest of the afternoon (and most of the evening) agonising about what the  _fuck_  to do about this. Internally, of course. No need to clue Kravitz in on the fact that he's the reason Taako is back in bed again by eight o'clock with a pillow over his head silently screaming his lungs out. He was already fussing over him to begin with; Taako had had to excuse himself at least ten separate times. He's just tired, it was a long night, he just doesn't feel up to dinner,  _yes_  he's fine, no he  _doesn't_  want any tea before he goes upstairs thank you and  _goodnight_. Jeez.

He can't even be annoyed about it. The guy's just so goddamn  _nice_. God, this was so much easier when they were just being assholes to each other and Taako didn't have to deal with having a  _crush_  on his  _dead roommate_. 

Luckily, his phone takes the opportune moment to rescue him from himself.

It's Barry. Why is  _Barry_  calling him?

"Uh, hi?" Taako says as he rolls onto his back and picks up, kind of confused.

" _Hey, bud, you_   _okay?_ " Barry replies, sounding more than a little concerned. " _You want me to come over?_ "

"What?"

Barry pauses for a moment, and when he speaks again, he sounds almost as confused as Taako is. " _Uh, Lup's got like five missed calls from you. I'm... guessing something happened?_ "

Taako blinks at the ceiling. He'd been so many crisis levels deep he'd completely forgotten about last night. He’s actually feeling pretty okay.

Because Kravitz had helped him get back to sleep. Because Kravitz had been with him all day being nice and sweet and considerate and all-round fucking  _boyfriend material_  and Taako  _really_  needs to stop thinking about this before he ends up deafening his goddamn pillow.

But, why is Barry calling him and not Lup? Surely she should be--

Just before his panic response starts to really kick in, Barry quickly adds, " _The only reason she's not calling you herself is 'cause she got trashed on the drinks service on the way back. I had to force her to go to bed before she broke something._ "

"Oh," Taako mumbles, feeling his locked muscles slowly release again. "Right."

Of course Barry would know exactly where his brain was gonna take him. He's a good dude. And used to dealing with all this, from the both of them. Taako's not the only one who has bad nights.

He rolls back over onto his front and rests his chin on his pillow with a sigh. "Yeah, it's - just the usual, but I'm good. Just, tell her to call me when she's not wasted?"

" _Sure, bud,_ ” Barry says gently. Taako hears the sound of a door closing, and something being set down on a table. " _You're really doing okay? I can make it over in like half an hour if you need an ear._ "

Taako's eyes narrow in suspicion. "You just wanna see if the house is still haunted," he accuses, and Barry starts to sputter over the line.

" _W-- Well, uh, I mean I wouldn't - I wouldn't mind seeing if there's any residual energy still there, but--_ "

Taako cuts him off and throws his phone to the other side of the bed for good measure. This is why he hadn't told either of those two that Kravitz was still around, and told the others to keep their mouths shut on pain of never receiving another meal from him in their lives. He doesn't need either of them snooping around the house or in his business, especially now. They know him too well not to notice when something's up, and he needs space to figure things out. And if Magnus and Merle had been insufferable, Lup would be--

Well, she doesn't need to know. Not right now. Not until he knows what the fuck he's gonna do here.

He lies awake for hours in the dark, thinking around and around in circles. Playful flirting, he can do, acting on some physical attraction, he can sure as fuck do, but expressing an actual interest?  _Fuck_. Especially when the guy thinks of him as a friend and hasn't shown any kind of interest in him at all. He won't even look at him shirtless, for fuck's sake. That woman he mentioned was probably his wife or something, too, and he's still pining after her, so how shitty of him would it be to start seriously hitting on him now? Probably not a great idea.

So, he decides, somewhere around two in the morning, he's going to bury this. He's gonna take a shovel and knock these feelings into next week where he's gonna hit them again until they're dead and he can bury them deep, deep down. Dead and buried as this fucking revenant asshole his dumbass idiot heart has decided to set its sights on.  _Fuck_.

Except now he's acknowledged that this is a  _thing_  he can't stop segueing into thinking about stupid shit like how soft his lips look or how pretty his eyes are or how gorgeous he is when he smiles. He can barely look at the guy all morning, even as they're talking over breakfast. He keeps tripping over his words and finding himself lapsed into silence and staring during every lull in the conversation. He burns his eggs  _twice_ , for fuck's sake. And the harder he tries to fight it, the worse it seems to get. 

This is what he gets for having feelings.

He does at least have time to get his eggs right the third time. He doesn't have anything planned for today - another day off courtesy of Ren, bless her kind, overly-accomodating soul - but he figures that'll probably change once Lup wakes up, and then he can go hang out with her for the rest of the day. That'd be good for him, at least. As much as he's feeling better, seeing her in the flesh would really help to knock the last few blips of jitteriness completely out of his system.

Sure enough, his phone rings again around mid-morning with the worst picture of Lup he has flashing up behind the caller ID. She wouldn't have it any other way.

"Hey," he answers quickly, more interested in hearing her respond than in an actual greeting. 

" _Mornin', 'Ko,_ " Lup replies, and - yeah, that's so much better already. She's not here, but she's okay and talking to him. She's fine. That's enough for him for now.

" _Everything okay_?" Lup asks, and though her tone is light there's a forcedness in it that tells him she's concerned. He sighs and closes his eyes, leaning back against the counter. Kravitz is giving him a curious look from across the room, but after a moment he goes back to trying to mop up a puddle under one of the windows. The snow from the last few weeks has been turning more and more to rain recently, and the things are leaking badly in places, as well as the roof. The whole house could really do with some TLC - and so could Taako, if he's being honest.

"Yeah, I'm - I'm good," he breathes into the receiver, rubbing a hand along his forehead. "But, uh, you wanna do somethin' today? Ch'boy could do with some twin time."

" _Yeah. Yeah, of course, 'Ko_ ," Lup says softly, then lets out a loud yawn. " _Just gimme like, an hour or so to make myself a person again, yeah?_ "

Part of Taako feels a very slight stab of guilt at that. Right, she was completely wasted last night. Probably hungover to shit. "You feelin' okay? I can just come there if you wanna stay in," he offers, kind of super hoping she'll say yes. Just lying around doing nothing at her and Barry's place actually sounds pretty good. But Lup snorts over the line. 

" _Nah, ch'girl is good_," she declares. " _Feelin' fine_."

Taako snickers to himself. "So you're still drunk."

" _Probably_ ," Lup concedes. " _I could do with some soul food, though. You wanna hit Paloma's?_ "

"Uh," Taako says, suddenly reminded of a certain old woman and her uncanny ability to see further into his head than he can. "I actually, uh. Just ate."

Lup makes an unconvinced humming noise, and Taako gets the distinct sinking feeling of knowing you’ve already lost a fight before it’s even started. " _Okay, I'll rephrase: I want some goddamn pancakes, and we're going to Paloma's. I'll even pay the bill. Meet you there in an hour,_ " she says, and hangs up.

Taako takes a minute to just stare at his phone and let the cold dread in his stomach really sink in. He can’t go to Paloma’s, she’ll - she’ll do  _something_ , for sure. Spill the whole situation to Lup, or try to give him more cryptic advice on how to go about courting a goddamn dead dude. He doesn’t even know if he wants to do that!

No, he  _definitely_  doesn’t want to do that. It’s a bad idea, no matter what his local borderline-psychic old woman says.

But he can't blow off  _Lup_. Especially because all she'd do is turn up at the house demanding to know what his fucking deal was instead. And... that would probably end badly. So, he supposes he's gonna have to just suck it up and go.

Shit. And today was supposed to be relaxing.

 

-*-

 

Lup is already waiting for him outside when he gets there, even though he lives a little bit closer to the café than she does. He had told himself that he wasn’t dragging his feet, but - well, that was a lie. He’d spent like a half hour on just his outfit, then his makeup took another ten, and... he’d also kept stopping to look over the delicate braids Kravitz had run through his hair for him yesterday. They were works of art, all of them - probably helped by the fact that Taako had sat stock-still while he was putting them in, still kind of in a daze about the whole situation and too terrified to move. But either way, they were pretty, and much easier to deal with than Taako’s usual mane of curls, gorgeous as they are. He’d been loathe to take the things out, but Lup would never have believed he’d done all that himself, so they had to go.

But, they looked so nice. Lup probably wouldn’t notice, right? Or he could play it off if she did. Maybe he could just take out some of them? Like a half-and-half type deal? That’d probably be okay. Or maybe he should just play it safe.

It was a tough decision to make. So, maybe he’d procrastinated a little. So sue him.

“How the hell did you manage to get here  _twenty minutes_  late?” Lup demands when she sees him coming up the street towards her. ”I gave you a whole hour, and you’re not even drunk!”

“You know looking this good takes time,” Taako quips halfheartedly as he gets within non-shouting earshot. He’s more focused on the relief flooding his system at seeing his sister again, although it’s creating a really weird and kind of nauseating solution where it’s mixing with the anxiety already pooled in his stomach. For once, the facade of Paloma’s café looks intimidating rather than inviting.

”Given what you’re working with, a lot of time,” Lup shoots back, but there’s no actual venom in it. She’s worried, Taako can tell that much just from looking at her. “We all know who the prettier twin is around here. Now can we go inside already? I’ve been freezing my ass off waiting for you.”

 _Actually, ch’boy’s good out here_ , Taako thinks to himself, but gestures for her to lead the way inside. It’s pretty busy today, given that it’s a weekend lunchtime and the weather is starting to turn a little less severe, but Paloma waves them over as they enter with a smile. Taako hangs back a little, even though he knows himself that it’s a pretty pointless exercise. It's not like she hasn’t noticed him already. The question is: does she know anything dangerous, and if so, how much?

"How are the two of you? I haven't seen you in a while,” the old woman says warmly, looking nothing but innocent. Taako doesn’t quite buy it, but he keeps his mouth shut. No need to poke the proverbial bear.

"Nobody sees Taako anymore, Pal, he's a regular homebody," Lup replies, leaning onto the counter with a sigh. "I have to drag him out of the house."

"Is that so?" Paloma asks, and her eyes have a mischevious sparkle in them as she turns them Taako’s way that Taako very much  _does not like._ “Well, it’s good to hear you’re settling in so well. I trust the pest problem resolved itself nicely?”

”Yeah, uh, resolved just fine,” Taako says quickly, and takes a glance around the shop before nudging Lup’s boot with his shoe. “Y’know, it, uh - looks, looks pretty busy in here, Lulu, maybe we should come back later. Or, uh. Try somewhere else.”

”Nonsense, I saved you a table. I had a feeling you’d be coming in today,” Paloma says brightly, gesturing towards a small two-seater at the back of the shop. Lup breaks into a delighted grin and immediately starts making her way over.

”Paloma, if I wasn’t already so happily taken, I’d marry you,” she says, and Paloma chuckles.

”I appreciate the sentiment.” She turns her gaze back on Taako, who at this moment kind of wants to do the opposite of marrying her, whatever that is. Potentially murder. “Taako, aren’t you going to sit down? You two have a lot to talk about,” she smiles, and then she winks at him.

Taako feels his face heating up against his will. Oh, she  _definitely_  knows. She knows a  _lot_.

There’s no getting out of this, he’s accepted as much now, so from this point on it’s a damage control operation. Begrudgingly, but trying not to show it, he makes his way over to the table and sits down opposite Lup, who hasn’t even bothered opening a menu. Paloma’s choice is always  _fucking_  right.

"So, Barry said you had a rough night," she says quietly once he’s settled, not bothering to beat around the bush. "I'm sorry I wasn't there, ‘Ko. Did you get ahold of any of the others?"

"Nah, it's - I was fine. I dealt with it," Taako shrugs, fiddling with an earring as he studies the tablecloth. Lup blinks at him in surprise.

"By yourself?"

"Uh. Yeah. Netflix is the new bestie, y'know? Since you two  _abandoned_  me."

"You were the one who said you didn't want to witness our, quote, 'digusting domestic bliss,'" Lup says flatly, throwing up some air quotes around that last part. But then she lets her hands fall to the table and starts picking at her nail beds, worry creeping back onto her face. "But... really, Taako? You were really okay by yourself?"

Taako bites back a defensive jab about her being neither his therapist nor his mom, because he knows she’s only asking out of concern and not to be patronising. If the story he’d told her were actually true, he probably really wouldn’t be doing so great right now. He’d probably have taken Barry up on his offer in a heartbeat and immediately fallen asleep on him as soon as he got the chance, because he would’ve been completely exhausted even if he had managed to get ahold of Magnus or Merle. She has grounds to be concerned, so he can handle a few sensitive questions for now, especially if it’s Lup. He could bear anything for her sake.

”Yeah, Taako’s gucci,” he says instead, forcing a smile onto his face that he hopes is at least partially convincing to the person who knows him better than anybody else in the world. “But, getting some twin time is good. A guy can get to missing a pain in the ass eventually, y’know?”

”And here I came all this way, jetlagged to fuck and kinda starting to regret taking such thorough advantage of the in-flight bar, waited outside in the freezing fucking cold for twenty goddamn minutes while you tried and failed to make yourself prettier than me, and—“ Lup stops, frowning, and then leans back in her seat with a shrug. “I lost my point. I got too distracted listing all the selfless deeds I’ve done for you today.”

”Hey, you asked to come here,” Taako points out, not actually all that offended. “I offered to just come over and hang out at your place, but  _somebody_  wanted pancakes.”

”And here they are,” says Paloma, appearing next to their table and setting down two plates stacked with perfectly round, fluffy pancakes, as well as a hot chocolate for Lup and a tea for Taako.

”Amaz-ing,” Lup trills happily, and immediately digs in, throwing Paloma an appreciative thumbs up as she removes her fork from her mouth and rolls her eyes in apparent bliss. Taako picks up his tea to take a sip, glad that at least Lup is enjoying herself, but stops dead when he catches a whiff of the flavour.

”Chamomile is good for the nerves, I’ve heard. Traditional remedy,” Paloma offers cheerily, completely unphased as he shoots her an unimpressed glare over his mug. He decides that actually, murder is on the shallow end of the actions he’d like to be taking right now.

”You’re a lifesaver, granny,” Lup hums around a mouthful of pancake, and Paloma smiles and starts to move away from the table.

“It’s no trouble. Your hair looks lovely today, by the way, Taako. Please pass along my compliments to the artist.”

Taako freezes, his eyes the only thing that move as he tracks Paloma’s route back into the kitchen. Slowly, he looks back at Lup, who’s squinting at his hair contemplatively, a small frown starting to take shape on her brow.

He should’ve taken out the fucking braids.

”It does look nice,” Lup says, chewing slower now and taking a pause to pick up her drink. “You didn’t do it yourself?”

”What? Of course, I - who else would’ve done it?” Taako laughs nervously, passing his fingers over his head and flipping his ponytail of braids back over his shoulder and out of sight.

See, here’s the thing: Taako’s ability to tell a convincing lie varies wildly, depending on the situation. Sometimes he can spin silver, other times he drops a deuce. And when Lup’s involved, the chances of him putting his foot in his mouth go up by about two hundred percent.

So this? This is a real bad fuckin’ situation for Taako.

”She said ‘pass along,’ Taako, and those things are neater than you can manage on yourself,” Lup says, eyebrows lifting doubtfully. “C’mon, give some credit where it’s due, who was it? Maybe I’ll get them to do mine for the next conference I go to.”

Taako moves his hand under the table and clamps it over his thigh to stop himself bouncing his leg. He can still get out of this. He can talk his way out of anything. ”I, uh - I actually lied before, my bad. I called Maggie over to come hang out yesterday, he did them for me.”

”Taako, I’ve seen Magnus try to braid,” Lup snorts, eyes curious as she watches him over her drink. “Do better.”

Taako stirs his spoon through his tea. ”Merle.”

”Try again.”

”...Angus?"

"Taako. Come on."

Taako leans back in his seat, folding his arms and turning his face away. Too bad his sister can be like a dog with a particularly juicy femur when she wants to be. ”Why does it even matter?” he huffs in a last-ditch effort to get her to drop the subject.

“Because you’re being all weird and cagey about it,” Lup responds, unmoved.

Taako swallows. So much for damage control.

He turns his attention to his food, picking up his cutlery and getting to work on the stack of pastry in front of him, because he’s sure if he looks directly at his sister while saying this she’s gonna see through him in a second. She waits patiently while he does, just watching him. Once he’s worked his way through his first mouthful ( _fuck_ , those are some good fuckin’ pancakes, though) and is starting to put together his second, he clears his throat and mumbles quietly, “Kravitz did them.”

For a moment, there’s only stark, terrifying silence in their small bubble of the café, surrounded by other people’s quiet chatter and the clattering of plates and cutlery.

” _Kravitz?_ ” Lup repeats, nothing in her tone betraying anything but surprise. Taako nods a little, shoving another forkful of syrupy pancakes into his mouth without looking up.

”Uh, yeah. Good ol’ Casper, he, uh - he’s actually pretty cool, turns out. And good at braiding hair.”

"He's still there?"

"Yeah,” Taako squeaks out, doing a _very_ poor job of sounding nonchalant about the whole thing even to his own ears. “Did I not, uh, mention that?"

Lup is watching him like a hawk now, and giving Taako a pretty good impression of what it feels like to be a mouse out in an open field. "You neglected to bring that one up, yeah.”

"Well. Whoops. Anyway, moving on--"

"So he helped you calm down," Lup interrupts, tone all but casual. She’s set her mug back down on the table, and picked up her knife and fork again to get back to her food. To Taako, however, it feels less like a reprieve and more like the calm before a very uncomfortable storm.

"Y— Yeah,” Taako confirms, resisting the urge to get up and run out of the place right then and there if only because it would make him look more suspicious than he does already. He twists one of his piercings around in his ear, and tries not to look too much like an animal about to chew off its own leg to get out of a bear trap. “Got me some tea and stuff. It was nice of him."

"It was." Lup glances up at him for a second, expression unreadable. "He do that kind of thing a lot?"

"I can't get him to  _stop_  doing it," Taako snorts, desperately trying to maintain a look of indifference despite the bloom of warmth that’s just swirled to life behind his ribs and is dangerously close to spreading to his face as well. God fucking damn his physical form, betraying him in all the worst ways. "Haven't made myself a drink in weeks."

He realises he's said too much when he hears Lup's fork hit her plate and looks up to see her eyes shining with glee. "Oh,  _Taako_."

"What?" Taako asks, turning back to his food so he doesn’t have to look at her, but he can practically  _hear_  the shit-eating grin on her face.

"You're smiling."

"No, I'm not," Taako says, immediately calling up an expression of aloof disdain. Lup thumps both hands down on the table, leaning up out of her chair to press her face closer across the space between them.

"Nuh- _uh_ , I know that look. Someone's got a crush."

Taako scoffs and pushes his food around his plate a little more. "You been talking to Magnus or something?"

"Sweetheart, I've known you literally my whole entire life," Lup tells him coolly. "I don't need _Magnus_ to tell me that's your crush face."

"Taako does not have a crush face."

"Uh, Taako does, and Taako is _wearing_ his crush face while talking to his sister about his undead roommate." She flops back down into her seat and leans her chin onto her hand, staring at him in delighted wonder. "Fuck, bro, you sure know how to pick 'em, huh?"

"You're deluded."

"Taako, look me in my face and tell me you don't wanna jump those bones."

"He doesn't have bones."

"That's not an answer."

Taako makes a frustrated noise and drops his knife down onto his plate so he can gesticulate with his free hand. "What do you want me to say, Lup? That he's pretty? Sure, he's the most beautiful goddamn guy I’ve ever seen and I'm a hopeless gay with functioning eyes, doesn't mean anything's gonna  _happen_."

"But you kinda want it to, huh?" Lup says, an amused smile playing over her lips.

Taako drops his head into his hands. This is the worst. He is living the absolute worst-case scenario for this day and he would be entirely unsurprised if a truck careened off the road this very minute and blasted straight through the wall and ended his life.

Lup's still waiting for him to answer, though, so he lifts his head again and starts poking at the small vase of fake flowers sitting on one side of the table.

"...No," he mumbles. Lup tilts her head. "Shut up," he snaps, and she raises an eyebrow.

Taako growls and takes a moment to viciously skewer a piece of pancake with his fork. Why did he have to have a  _twin,_ of all things. She knows him better than he does.

"Look - first of all, he's a  _literal fucking ghost_ ; second, pretty sure he's not into guys; third, also pretty sure he's still pining over some dead sweetheart of his. So you can stop with the - that shit," he says, waving a hand in the general direction of the  _look_  she's giving him.

For a minute, Lup just continues to watch him, expression contemplative. Then, she sits up in her seat with a decisive clap of her hands.

"Well, either way I gotta vet him," she announces, and piles the remaining food on her plate into her mouth, chugs her drink, stands from the table, and starts making her way towards the exit. "Let's go."

"Wh-- Hey, I didn't extend an invitation!" Taako shouts after her, scrambling out of his chair in a way which is very much uncool but like _hell_ is he letting Lup go and break her way into his house without him. She probably wouldn't even need to break in, honestly, Kravitz would probably welcome her inside and offer her something to drink. They'd be sat at the table together chatting over cards within the hour, Taako can just _feel_ it.

Part of him really likes that idea. The rest of him knows that he _absolutely_ cannot let that happen. 

"I don't need one, I'm your sister," Lup calls back over her shoulder as she shrugs on her coat by the door. "Now hurry the fuck up and get the bill so we can get a move on, slowpoke." 

Taako stumbles to a halt, glancing over to where Paloma is sat behind the counter, watching him expectantly. "Wh-- I thought you were paying!" he complains. Lup turns to face him with raised eyebrows, fluffing her hair out from where it had been trapped underneath the collar of her coat.

"I  _was_ , until I found out  _somebody_  has been  _hiding_  things from his  _darling dearest_   _sister_ ," she says, and motions him over towards the counter with a finger. "And now the traitor pays the price."

Grumbling, Taako makes his way over to the counter and starts rummaging through his pockets, aware that they've kind of made a scene at this point but too agitated to care. He gets as far as pulling out his wallet before Paloma lifts a hand and waves him off, a gentle smile on her old and wrinkled face.

"Don't worry, my dear, this one's on the house. I think I've caused you enough grief for one day," she says, cheery as ever, and slides a small paper bag over the counter towards him. "And something for the road as well."

Taako reaches out to carefully take the bag from her hand and open it up, somewhat mollified by her offering. Inside are two fresh scones, still slightly warm from the oven. He almost has to laugh; this is at the same time both a really nice gesture, and a sharp jab to his pride. All these years of baking and refining and baking again and he can still never quite make scones as good as Paloma's.

"Thanks, I guess. I'll consider forgiveness in the distant future," he says as he turns away to follow Lup out the door, but Paloma moves her hand to touch his, and he pauses to look back at her.

"Taako, I would never send you down a path that I didn't think would leave you happiest in the end," she tells him, holding his gaze with absolute sincerity. "Even if the journey isn't a smooth one."

Taako watches her for a few moments longer, considering his reaction, and then huffs a laugh. Of course he can't stay mad at Paloma, no matter how hard he tries. She's been about as good to them as anybody could be. "You come out with the most cryptic bullshit sometimes, you know that, granny?"

"An old woman needs her pastimes," Paloma chuckles, then smiles and waves him away towards the door. "Go home, Taako. And good luck."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hopefully the second part of this chapter should be up in a week or so :)


	19. Jump or Be Pushed, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Continuation of previous chapter]

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this turned out to be a long boy. Whoops? I didn’t mean for it to be 9k? I’m kinda not sorry though lol
> 
> In any case, happy reading!

 

An hour or so later, Lup is marching up the garden path towards the house like a woman possessed. Taako had managed to convince her to at least stop for groceries with him so she could help carry them back, but other than that she'd been an unstoppable force against a very much moveable brother. But then, blazing her way through other people’s lives is just Lup all over.

Jogging a few steps to get in front of her, Taako blocks the way long enough to stutter, "Lis-- Listen, if we're gonna do this, you gotta be cool about it, okay? Don't - just don’t make things weird."

Lup slows her stride, and stands on the path for a moment with her head cocked at him, contemplative.

"...You really like this guy, huh?" she asks plainly. Taako fidgets uncomfortably, unable to look her in the eye.

"I— It’s just—“

He cuts himself off after barely beginning, because he can't even deny it, and Lup would see right through him if he tried. Lup’s eyes soften slightly, but she still squares her shoulders and resumes her march towards the house.

"Relax, 'Ko, I'm not gonna scare him off," she snorts, pushing past him as she goes. Taako follows after her with a sigh.

"You - you literally - he can't _leave_ , remember?"

Lup's dramatic entrance is slightly hindered by the fact that she has to wait for Taako to unlock the door for them, but after that she's striding inside like she owns the place.

”Krav?” Taako calls as he follows her through the entrance. “Could you grab the door? I got my hands full.”

The door swings quietly shut behind him, and then Kravitz’s voice sounds from further inside the house. "Hey, how was—" he starts, wandering out of the living room with a warm smile on his face - then he catches sight of Lup and stops, eyes widening in surprise. "Oh. Hello. Um, it's - it’s Lup, right? I'm - I realise we didn't leave off on the best of terms, but—"

"Get those beans in the freezer, ghost rider, it's chill. I know you've been lookin' after the baby bro here," Lup smiles, leaning over to bump shoulders with Taako. "Thanks for keeping an eye on him."

"I'm older than you," Taako mutters, loud enough to be heard but also resigned to the fact that this is gonna be a painful experience no matter what he says. Lup only grins, not even looking over at him.

"That is a lie."

"Um. It's no trouble,” Kravitz says uncertainly, looking between the two of them like he’s not sure who to believe. He then seems to notice the bags in their hands, and takes a step forward, gesturing to them. "Do you, uh - need any help with those?"

Some spark of approval lights in Lup’s eyes, but she shakes her head and makes for the kitchen. "Nah, we got it covered. Don't worry about it."

"Are you sure? It's really not a strain for me at all, and they look heavy."

"Well, if you insist," Taako says, letting his bags slip out of his fingers and drop towards the floor.

"S-shit," Kravitz hisses, arms coming up reflexively as he darts forward, and although he’s nowhere close to catching them the bags jerk to a halt just before impact. Gently letting them drift to the floor, he breathes a sigh and looks back up at Taako plaintively. "Taako, I need a little warning."

"I gave warning," Taako shrugs, and earns himself an exasperated look.

"More warning than that? Please? Or next time your groceries might not survive."

"Hey, maybe you could eat 'em, then,” Taako teases, picking up one of the bags and going to follow Lup into the kitchen. Kravitz almost manages a convincing frown as the other bag lifts up to follow him, but he's fighting off a smile and it shows.

"That's - that's not funny.”

”We both know you love the ghost goofs, bubeleh, don’t even pretend,” Taako grins, and points him towards the kitchen side where Lup has deposited her bags. ”Just on the counter is perfect, thanks.”

"Do you want help putting it all away?" Kravitz asks, helpful as ever, but Lup shakes her head again and shoos him off.

"We got it, babes, just take a seat," she says, grinning way too wide. "Can't let Taako get away with having no manners. Y'know, he never even properly introduced us! Can you believe that?"

"Um. Well. I can see why, initially, that might've been a bad idea," Kravitz says as he sits down at the counter. "And - I am sorry about the other day, I wasn't - I don't know how much Taako told you, but I wasn't in a good place, um, emotionally, and I don't really have a lot of control over what happens around me when I'm upset, so—"

"Already forgotten, Casper, don't sweat it," Lup assures, still grinning at him rather unnervingly. "What's an exploded turkey or two among friends, right?"

"Uh. Right."

Kravitz glances around the room, seeming to be searching for a change in topic, and his eyes land on the half-unpacked grocery bags in front of him. "You - you know, the fact that you can get all this year-round is astounding," he says, gesturing to the fruit and vegetables laid out on the counter. "What I would’ve given to have strawberries in mid-winter."

”Well, seasonal is always better,” Taako comments as he gathers up another handful of items to put away. “But I’ll make a few exceptions.”

"Mmm, Taako has discerning tastes," Lup agrees, and Kravitz gives a tentative half-smile in response.

"I've, uh, I've noticed."

"Right, I guess you two've been spending a _lot_ of time together, huh?" Lup queries, leaning towards him over the counter with a broad smirk on her face. "Say, how is it living with my brother? He being a good housemate?"

"Oh, uh, yes, he's very good company," Kravitz replies, a cautious but steadier smile settling in now. "He told me you play the violin," he adds, almost as an afterthought, and Lup gives an indifferent shrug.

"Eh, a little. Nothing too fancy."

From the other side of the room, Taako lets out a scoff. "Liar, you won some big competition with that shit. Wasn’t it regional?"

Kravitz's face lights up immediately at that. "Really? I'd - I’d love to hear you play, if you have the time. And I'd be happy to play you something in return, if you wouldn't mind my borrowing your instrument,” he says, all bright eyes and intense excitement. “Mine, uh - well, it's not here any more."

"Uh, sure," Lup stumbles out, seeming a little taken aback by the sudden enthusiasm. Taako's used to it.

(Taako thinks it's kinda cute. Fuck.)

"I'll bring Barry, guy's got some killer piano skills," Lup continues, oblivious to Taako forcing himself to take a few deep breaths behind her. Kravitz's smile gets even brighter, if that were possible.

"That sounds wonderful. I haven't heard live music in - well, in a very long time."

Taako manages to shove his heart back into place just in time to jump in and cut this off before it goes too far, moving back over to their side of the kitchen. "Ohh no, you are not telling Barold he's still here, no way. My house is not gonna become camp nerd," he tells Lup firmly, and then turns his frown on Kravitz. "And you never offer to play for me," he complains. Like, okay, he plays the piano in the mornings, but it’s not - it’s not like he’s ever offered a real performance or whatever. He’s never _said_  he’s playing for Taako, if that’s even what he’s doing.

Kravitz makes a noise that could potentially be defined as a laugh, if one were feeling generous. "I mean, I - I can if you want me to. I was going to offer a while ago, but - well, I thought you'd find it boring,” he says, seeming embarrassed as he lifts a hand to fix his hair. "It's not exactly your usual genre."

Taako humphs indignantly. "No, no, I get it, you got a favourite twin, it's cool. Go hang out and be nerds together, see if I care."

"She— She's not my - I-I don't have a favourite," Kravitz stammers, suddenly sounding very out of his depth. Lup goes to pat him on the shoulder, and, to her credit, manages to remain mostly unphased when her hand whips right through it and comes out the other side.

"Uh - relax, my man, he's just bein' a dick," she says, rubbing her hand against her jeans a few times. "Your boy's always been a jealous one."

"I'm not—!" Taako starts to squawk, then stops, clears his throat, and tries again in a real person voice. "I do not get  _jealous_ , you're a goddamn liar."

Lup raises her eyebrows doubtfully. "Right. You say jam, I say jelly,” she says, then turns away and picks up a large bottle of iced tea she’d left out on the side. About the only thing she’d bothered to help unpack. "Anyway, you want any of this?"

"It's January _,_ " Taako responds flatly. Lup lets out a loud scoff and continues pouring herself a glass.

"Coward. What about you, Casper, you want some?"

"Oh, I, um, can't really--"

"Right, didn't think so." She moves over to the freezer, opens the door, frowns, and then shuts it again, turning to give Taako a mildly offended look. "You don't have any ice,” she says.

"As previously mentioned, it is _January_."

Lup gives a haughty snort. "And you're a slave to the whims of the seasons."

Quietly, Kravitz slips out of his seat so he can make his way over and hold out a hand for the glass. "Um, if you wanted it cold, I can just..."

Lup looks confused, but after a moment, she shrugs and holds the glass out for him to take. The sides of it mist up with condensation as soon as he makes contact, and after half a minute or so of being held between his hands the tea inside starts to crystallize and freeze over.

"Oh, fuckin' _rad!_ You're like a living freezer!" Lup exclaims, grabbing the glass back and holding it up to the light to get a better look at the contents. "Or, dead freezer. Anyway, c'mere," she says, and sets the glass down so she can spread out her arms, making grabby hands in Kravitz’s direction. Kravitz seems decidedly uncertain, and doesn’t move from where he’s standing.

"Um.”

"No, seriously, I wanna see how cold you are," Lup insists, moving forward, but Kravitz takes a step back and holds up his hands between them.

"I'm - actually really okay. Thank you."

Lup huffs and drops her arms, turning back to pick up her drink. "If you say so," she grumbles. "I've been told I give the best hugs ever, so. You're missin' out."

“Maybe, uh... later,” Kravitz replies nervously, in a tone that suggests he’s saying as much to be polite rather than actually intending to follow through.

”Lup, if you’re done harassing the poor guy, maybe you could pay attention to your brother? Y’know, the one you came here to visit?” Taako says, a little irritated as he finishes putting the last of his groceries away on his own and throws the bags into a cupboard. Lup grins and moves back over to him, slinging an arm around his shoulders.

”Aw, I’m sorry, ‘Ko. How ‘bout we go sit down and you can fill me in on what I’ve _missed_ , huh?” she says, smug grin firmly in place as she sweeps him towards the living room. “I’m sure things’ve been _busy_ here.”

Taako doesn’t miss the way she turns to raise her eyebrows at Kravitz and mouth ‘ _jealous’_ over her shoulder, or the quiet, uncertain laugh Kravitz gives in response that makes his ears turn hot with embarrassment. This was _such_ a bad idea.

”Well, I’ll, um, let you two catch up, then,” Kravitz says, following them as far as the hall before going to peel off towards the stairs, but Lup slings her other arm around his neck and pulls him into the living room with them.

”Nah, Casper, you can join us! Don’t wanna leave you all on your lonesome,” she says brightly, and Kravitz is either too surprised or too scared to protest. He does phase out of her grip as soon as they enter the room, however, and takes an awkward seat in the lone armchair, much to Lup’s apparent disappointment as she drags Taako down onto the couch next to her. Instead, she folds her arms over the side of the seat closest to Kravitz and rests her head on top.

"So, ghost boy, what’s been goin’ on?”

“Shouldn’t you be... asking Taako...?” Kravitz replies, looking more confused than ever. Lup humphs flatly and tilts her nose towards the ceiling.

"My _brother_ is a compulsive liar who likes to hide things from his sister," she says irritably, then smirks hungrily and leans further forward again. "You, on the other hand, seem like the honest type."

"I - I mean, he seems honest enough to me," Kravitz hedges politely, but Lup gives her head a mournful shake.

”Can’t trust a word that boy says. Do you know he _lied_ to me about you—“

“Kravitz fakes his accent,” Taako blurts in a panicked attempt to change the subject before she can go any further. Thankfully, Lup takes the bait, as she pauses and tilts her head curiously, studying Kravitz a little more carefully now.

“Huh,” she says. “Y’know, you do sound a little different than before. Less Downton Abbey, more, uh... Russel Brand."

Kravitz shoots Taako an unimpressed and maybe slightly betrayed look, but seems more concerned with addressing Lup’s curiosity than scolding him for spilling his secrets. "Um, well, there didn’t seem much point in trying to sound upper-class when people don't really seem to care about that kind of thing any more,” he explains as Lup watches him with interest.

“So you are actually British, then, that part’s not fake.”

"Uh, no, I - I am actually from London," Kravitz confirms with the briefest flash of a smile. "Just not any of the more reputable parts, that’s all." 

Lup’s mouth curls up at the corners again, and she lifts one of her hands off the arm of the sofa so she can rest her chin on it. "Bet you turned some heads back there, huh? Handsome guy like you?"

"Wh-- What?" Kravitz stutters, body dipping out slightly as his eyes widen and then dart away towards the floor, with just the tiniest detour in Taako's direction. "No, I - I wasn't really considered, uh. Good marriage material."

"For real? Not a single lady caller?"

Kravitz dips out even further, and readjusts his position in his seat so he's leaning farther away from them. "W-well, that's not really— I don’t, uh—" He adjusts his tie and clears his throat, visibly uncomfortable with the topic at hand. "Can - could we talk about something else?"

"Yeah, Lup," Taako growls, elbowing his sister in the side. " _Pick something else_."

"Sure," Lup smiles, and then immediately turns back to Kravitz. "What made you decide to jump the pond?"

Kravitz's posture locks up in that very familiar way which Taako knows means he's not gonna give a real answer, if he even answers at all. Honestly, if Taako had thought he'd been getting caught up in those invisible tripwires often, Lup's opting to just crash through them like a bull in a high-security vault.

"Um. Well. Several... reasons," Kravitz says, dropping the words out like each syllable is an effort. Lup tilts her head, undeterred by the vague response.

"Such as?"

Kravitz's eyes flick over to Taako again with a slightly desperate look to them, but he's broken eye contact again before Taako can respond in any way. He feels a little bad watching this happen, really, but - well, it's not like he isn't curious. If he can take advantage of Lup bulldozing the situation to get a little more info out of the guy, then that's kind of alright by him.

Seeing that he's not going to get out of answering, Kravitz brings a hand to his hair and pushes some of it back behind his ear, seeming to stall for a moment before explaining, "Well, uh - my - my mother died, for one. I didn't really have any family left to stay with after that."

"What about your dad?" Lup asks. Taako winces a little at that one, but Kravitz doesn't seem too perturbed by the question, only a little saddened.

"He, um, hadn't been around for a while by that point."

"Oh," Lup says, sounding at least a little guilty. "Yeah, I get that. Same boat for us."

Kravitz quickly shakes his head, sitting up slightly as he realises he’s been misunderstood. "Oh, no - no, he would never've - he didn’t _leave_ , it was - he just, went out to work one day, and..." He sighs, eyes moving away to look at something only he can see. "They never found a body to bury, so ma never let anyone say he was dead," he murmurs, and then shrugs. "Well, that and - less pressure to remarry if your husband is only missing, I suppose."

Lup's hand goes to the back of her neck, now looking _very_ guilty. “Ah. Shit. Sorry, dude.”

”No, that’s - it was a very long time ago,” Kravitz says with a small, reassuring smile. “Not worth getting worked up about now, really."

”If you say so," Lup shrugs, then perks up again and presses forward with renewed interest. “How about _your_ day job, though, anything fun?”

At that, Kravitz’s posture goes takes a step up from tense to completely rigid, and his fingers move to fuss with his suit buttons as he looks away. ”Um—“

”Lup, just - quit grillin’ him, will ya?” Taako cuts in, kind of sick of seeing her make Kravitz so many different kinds of uncomfortable in such a short space of time. Every question she asks seems to make him more and more stressed, and as much as Taako would like to sit back and watch her pry the secrets out of him, the part of his brain that has decided he cares about Kravitz is also pretty averse to seeing him unhappy. The fucker. “I thought this was supposed to be twin time, c’mon.”

"Ugh, fine. I just wanted to get to know your roomie a little better," Lup grouses, but twists back around in her seat so she doesn’t have her back to him any more, at least.

"You know, I, um - I actually wanted to ask you about yourself as well," Kravitz offers carefully. "Taako talks about you a lot, it's nice to get to meet you properly."

"Oh, _does_ he?" Lup purrs, immediately spinning back around again as Taako suppresses a groan. "What's he been saying?"

Kravitz gives a cautious smile, and an even more cautious laugh. "Ah, nothing - nothing untoward, I promise."

"Nah, Krav, you don't have to lie for me," Taako says lightly, and gives Lup a dry look. "I told him you cook like shit and are the inferior twin in every way. So y'know, nothing that's not true."

"Uh-huh." Lup leans back and folds her arms behind her head, and props her feet up on the coffee table. (Very slowly, the table moves back a few inches and her feet drop gently to the floor, but it doesn't seem to bother her.) "Hey, y'know what I haven't thought about in a while?" she says casually. "The key-lime gogurt incident."

Taako sits bolt upright in his seat. "We don't have to—"

"What's - what's a gogurt?" Kravitz asks, head cocked curiously. It would be cute under different circumstances. Not right now, though.

"Nothing interesting," Taako insists, but Lup continues like he isn’t even there.

"Oh, just like, little tubes of flavoured yoghurt. Taako's _favourite_ when we were kids." 

"We really - it's not a good story—"

"But Kravitz wants to hear it!" Lup protests, turning to beam at the man in question. "Right, ghost rider?"

“No, he _doesn't._ ”

"I - I think I would like to hear, actually," Kravitz says, a relatively convincing apologetic smile on his face, but Taako can see some familiar mischief lurking underneath and hits him with an indignant glare.

"You're supposed to take my side!" he complains. Kravitz only laughs at him. But, at least he seems to be relaxing a little. It looks like he and Lup just needed to find their common ground. Which is, apparently, roasting the fuck out of Taako.

Despite being the butt of the story, Taako actually finds himself having fun. By the time Lup's finished relaying the time Aunt Tia walked into the kitchen to find him naked as a baby and coated head to toe in key-lime gogurt, Kravitz is starting to tip into that broken, snorting laughter that makes Taako's heart do tiny little somersaults, and it only gets worse from there as Lup launches into a full account of the most stupid shit Taako has done throughout his whole entire miserable life.

Of course, Taako isn't defenseless in this. He knows Lup as well as she knows him, so he can throw a few choice stories back in her face. Kravitz doesn't seem quite as interested in those, though, despite listening just as intently. He doesn’t laugh quite as loud, or quip in as often. Maybe it's just because he doesn't know Lup as well, but he always seems to nudge the conversation back to Taako. And Lup seems intent on doing the same, so that's the way things go.

But, Taako has to admit, he really doesn't mind just sitting back and listening to Kravitz laugh, even if it is at him.

Lup continues to hang around for a few more hours, seeming quite happy to make herself at home, and the three of them chat around a selection of different topics without really noticing the time pass. Taako can feel Barry’s absence in the conversation at times, especially when Lup looks for backup on a story of theirs and there’s none to be found, but for the most part... it’s really not so bad. Lup might be a chaotic force of nature at the best of times, but she is still his sister. He shouldn’t forget that she does always have his back when it really comes down to it.

So he lets his guard down. Which is why, when she insists on dragging all three of them back into the kitchen when she goes to refill her drink, he goes along with it. And why he doesn’t see the contents of a very full glass of peach iced tea headed his way until it’s too late to do anything about it.

Lup, of course, catches herself handily mid-trip. Unfortunately, it's a little too late for that to benefit Taako, or his now-sodden clothes.

"Shit, Lup, this was a nice outfit!" he wails - which, to be fair, he would have said about any of his outfits, because they're all nice, but _still_. That's one of his favourite shirts that's now gonna be stained through with sticky sweet tea which is gonna be a bitch to get out.

"Oh, I'm _so_ sorry, Koko - here, lemme give you a hand," Lup gushes, setting her now-empty glass down and moving to help pull his shirt off over his head. Taako tugs it back down in a huff.

"Leave it, I'll go upstairs," he grumbles. "Your man there gets uncomfortable when I start strippin'."

Kravitz, who had seemed to have temporarily become a statue, suddenly starts to life again and darts to the other side of the room to fumble for a dish towel. "No, it's - it's fine, I don't mind, really, don't stay in that mess any longer for my sake." He practically throws the towel at Taako and heads for the door. "I'll go get you a proper towel and some new clothes and uh, just - just leave ‘em outside."

"Nah, my man, I think me and bro-bro here need to have a little _private chat_ anyway," Lup says, grabbing Taako by the arm and dragging him past Kravitz and out of the room. She doesn’t let go until they’re inside Taako’s room and she’s shut the door behind them, at which point she turns to look at him with a pointedly arched eyebrow.

“Okay,” she says. “You and I need to talk about some stuff.”

”Just - lemme get outta this first,” Taako mutters, stripping off his sopping shirt on his way over to his wardrobe and letting it drop to the floor with a damp  _slap_. He picks up a discarded towel off of the bed, too, and starts drying off the worst of the spill from his skin. It's gonna dry all sticky and gross regardless, but he can deal with that until he gets in the bath later.

Lup starts out waiting patiently while he roots through his wardrobe for something nice-but-not-so-nice-he-minds-getting-residual-ice-tea-on-it, but after a minute of that with no choice made she sighs and says, "...Taako."

"Mmyeah?"

"Taako, my sweet, sweet baby brother, look me in the fucking eye."

Taako heaves a sigh and turns to face her, jumping a little when he sees she's moved up right behind him. "Wh— What?"

Lup jerks a thumb over her shoulder. "That guy has a crush on you the size of fuckin' Texas."

He—

Taako's brain short-circuits for a solid half minute.

He _what?_

"Like - like hell he does,” he manages eventually, turning back to the wardrobe with an incredulous laugh. Lup scoffs one back in response, and moves to lean up against the wardrobe door next to him.

"Oh, honey, trust me -  _he does_."

"He does _not_."

Lup rolls her eyes so hard it looks like it might actually hurt. "Taako, I lifted your shirt half an inch and he stopped breathing."

"He doesn't _need_ to breathe,” Taako shoots back, irritated. So she _had_  spilled her drink on purpose. He’d thought as much. Lup is unrepentant though, and makes an exasperated noise at him.

"Oh, for fuck’s - he follows you around like a goddamn puppy, you moron. He makes doe-eyes at you when he thinks nobody's watching and eats up every tiny little thing I say about you like his life depends on it,” she says, and jabs a finger at him before he can open his mouth. “Or _afterlife_ , whatever. The point is, your man has _for sure_  got a favourite twin, Taako, and it ain't me."

“That's not - I mean, of course I'm his favourite, I'm objectively better.”

Lup gives him a flat look. "You know what I meant, babe. Stop deflecting."

Taako's stomach feels like it's turning into a jacuzzi. It's hot and bubbling and he feels kind of sick and kind of excited at the same time. But - no. No, that’s - that’s not— No. No, he couldn’t. No way is that a thing. Lup needs to get her eyes checked.

“What - what do you know, anyway?” he huffs, turning back to his clothes. “Barold was fallin' all over you for _years_ before you took notice, you’ve got no idea what a crush looks like.”

"Because your girl was aiming for a PHD and wasn't really thinking about much else, Taako,” Lup responds wearily, like the two of them weren’t just silently pining over each other for most of high school and beyond. "You don't have that excuse."

Taako yanks a shirt at random out of the wardrobe and roughly pulls it on, wanting to get out of this situation as soon as humanly possible. "I am a very busy man, Lup. I'm building a fucking culinary empire here."

“Right,” Lup responds, eyes lidded. ”So when I say, 'ghost boy out there is head over fucking heels for you,' you know _that's_ the reason you haven't noticed and not because you're dense as a goddamn housebrick.”

For a moment, Taako just stares at her, trying to formulate some kind of protest. "He's _dead_ ," he reminds her incredulously, but Lup looks unphased.

"And? Seems nice enough to me," she shrugs. Taako gives her a sour look in response, and she waves a hand. "Look, I'm not sayin' you have to like him back - although I'm pretty fuckin' sure you do - but you should at least like, be aware of it. You're probably torturing the poor guy with this song and dance you've got goin'."

"What - what  _dance_?" Taako demands, offended although he's not entirely sure why.

“Don't even pretend,” Lup says with a dry laugh. “I know what you do, babe. You flirt and flounce and tease and then panic the moment things start to get serious. Don't let your commitment issues hurt this one, he seems really sweet.”

"I do _not_ have—"

Lup cuts him off with a firm look. "Taako. You do. So do I. That's what happens when you grow up like we did. But I got past them, there's nothing stopping you from doing the same."

"Don't," Taako growls, "Lecture me, Lup."

Lup sighs, and moves away from him to go flop down on his bed. "Yeah, fine. Listen, I'll let you figure out what you wanna do here, I'm just sayin'. Guy thinks you hung the moon, babe, take that into consideration."

Taako just stares over at her for a long minute. Lup’s always been - well, maybe not the most emotionally mature of the two of them, but definitely the better at making friends. She’s good with people in a way that Taako kind of isn’t. He’d usually listen to her if she told him she’d noticed something like this. Usually.

Reluctantly, he drags himself over to the bed and sits down next to her, biting at the inside of his cheek.

“If - _if_ he liked me, don't you think he would've said something?” he asks quietly - more of a mumble, really. “I mean, ch'boy's made it pretty clear I think he's handsome an' everything. Not like—“ He clears his throat and turns his face away, feeling the telltale prickle of heat on his cheeks. “Not like he'd end up getting rejected.”

Lup opens one eye to look at him sidelong, not moving from where she’s starfished out across the sheets. "Well, let's think about it this way; you're a dead dude, sharing a house with the first friend you've had in a century, you probably don't wanna do anything that would make things awkward, and the guy you're crushin' on has been pretty adamant about ghosts not being dating material," she says, listing each point off on her fingers before throwing her hand up with a flourish and letting it drop back onto the bed again. "I think your answer's somewhere in there, hon."

"But--"

"Taako. Taaquito," Lup says, sitting up and smushing his face between her hands. "Just for a second, I want you to put on some rose-tinted glasses. I know it's not a habit, but if you were gonna be a wishful thinker, would there've been _any_ indication that he likes you?"

Taako grimaces. "You want me to be an optimist?"

"Humour me."

Taako chews his lip for a second, then sighs and unclamps her hands from his face. Alright. Fine. Take a second not to think like Taako. Think like Magnus, or someone like that. Somebody who trusts the universe not to fuck them up given the tiniest opportunity.

Maybe someone like that would read things differently. Maybe they'd see awkward as flustered, think maybe that averted eyes were from not wanting to stare instead of lack of interest and let themselves read into things like bright smiles and wistful sighs and someone not wanting them to let go of their hand.

Maybe that person would let themselves get attached.

"...Maybe," he mumbles quietly.

Lup's expression softens, and she bumps her shoulder gently against his to get him to look at her properly. "Hey. Remember what Angus said, about Casper not facing the truth because he was too scared of it? He needed someone to force him to look at it, even though it was obvious." She tilts her head and smiles slightly, a trace of humour glinting around the edges. "Sound familiar?"

Taako lets out a groan. God, he hates it when she’s right. He really hadn’t wanted to acknowledge the obvious. Maybe it had just been his turn for wilful ignorance. Probably made him some kind of hypocrite, really.

"But he's _dead_ ," he tries feebly, one last time. Lup snorts at him.

"You might’ve mentioned that already."

"It's kind of a big deal, Lup." He grimaces and slumps back onto the bed, covering his face. "Shit, would that count as necrophilia? Is that weird?"

Lup shrugs. "Only if you make it weird. Not like he's a corpse."

"Uh, no, just a _ghost,_ " Taako huffs, and Lup barks a laugh.

"Babe, the Taako I know? Wouldn't pass up the chance to get funky with a ghost," she says, and pokes a finger into his thigh. " _You're_ just scared of your feelings."

Taako whines loudly and sits back up to glare at her in frustration. "So - so maybe I am! So what?" he asks, petulant. "It's still a bad idea! Do you have any idea how awkward this is gonna be if things don't work out? I'll have to _move_ , Lup. I'll have to pack my fucking bags and move the fuck away!"

He groans and flops forward with his face in his hands, and then groans again, louder, just because he can. "God, this is - so _stupid_."

Lup doesn’t leave him time to stew, because she knows he’ll only work himself back up again. She leans into his side and wraps her arm around his shoulders, and knocks her head gently against his.

"Taako, I'm pretty sure neither of us believe in soulmates, but if I was ever gonna chalk anything up to fate, it'd be you ending up in a house haunted by a guy you have more chemistry with than I’ve seen you have with anyone living,” she says softly, and lets that sit for a minute before nudging him again and adding, "Actually, maybe you've got some kinda fetish. You big on Swayze?"

Taako shoves her roughly onto the floor, but he still can’t help but crack the tiniest of smiles despite himself. "Fuck you."

His sister smiles back at him, and dusts herself off without a hint of offense. "Look, just - think about it. Either act on it or don't, just don't flirt with the poor guy unless you're gonna follow up, you get me?"

"Yeah, I got you,” Taako sighs, because she is right. He’s been hot-and-colding the guy pretty fucking hard, looking back on it all. Just call him Katy Perry.

She’s right about all of it, of course, everything he'd been so determinedly blind to. He'd never _really_ cared about the ghost thing, it was just an excuse. He didn't want to admit that - that he is... interested, in Kravitz. And Kravitz is - fuck, if Taako can even let himself think it - Kravitz is interested in him, too. Somehow. By some trick of fate, Taako had managed to score a haunted house with a ghost who was both hot as fuck, incredibly sweet  _and_ into dudes. Surprising, how the city's best chef had managed to go ahead and fuck up a recipe that simple.

So, they get along well and his sister approves and this - this unspoken  _thing_  Taako has for the guy might actually be something mutual.

All that leaves is to do something about it, right?

But, that's easier said than done. It had taken him this long to even admit there were sparks, never mind trying to coax them into something like a flame. He's never been good at this kind of thing.

But... maybe he could try.

"...Do you wanna head back downstairs? Poor sap's probably wondering what's taking so long," he mumbles, pushing himself up and making for the door. Lup follows with the smallest of disappointed noises, but perks up again when Taako stops her at the entrance.

"Fuck - okay, listen," he forces out, hating every single second of it, "Just - if this goes horribly, terribly wrong, that's on you, yeah? You’re gonna take total responsibility and let me crash at your place when I have to move away and never return."

Lup beams and holds out her pinky finger. ”That’s a deal, brother mine.”

Taako sighs in resignation and links her finger with his. “This is such a bad idea.”

”I have never ever in my whole life ever led you astray,” Lup lies cheerfully. At least one of them is confident about this.

The kitchen is empty when they return downstairs. Instead, they find Kravitz in the living room, sat absently rolling a glass between his palms and staring through it into space.

"You miss us, Casper?" Lup asks loudly as they enter, and Kravitz lifts his head to look at them, blinking as he’s drawn out of whatever daydream he’d been immersed in.

"Oh, um, I poured you another drink, but--" He holds up the glass so Lup can see it, a slightly embarrassed smile on his face. Probably because the tea inside is frozen completely solid. "Well, it's... probably a little _too_ cold now."

Lup laughs and flicks her finger against the glass, making it ring out like a bell. “Well, I appreciate the thought. Maybe next time I can put a popsicle stick in there first and have somethin' for the road,” she says, and turns away to head out of the room. “Anyway, I’m headed out. Be seein’ ya, ghost boy. Nice to actually meet you properly.”

“Oh, you’re - you’re leaving?” Kravitz asks, seeming disappointed.

“Yeah, but I’ll be back before you know it. I know Taako’s got you to stop him from getting too lonely now, but it’s no substitute for twin time.” She kicks Taako’s shoe a couple of times and jerks her head towards the door. “C’mon, you can come wait for my bus with me.”

“Um, before you go,” Kravitz says quickly, standing from his seat and taking a few steps after them, “Could I - I was hoping I could maybe - talk to you for just a moment? I-If you wouldn't mind, obviously.”

“Sure,” Lup grins, and turns to treat Taako to a highly overstated nudge-and-wink combo. “Watch out, 'Ko, I might steal this one if you're not careful.”

"Fuck off, Lup," Taako deadpans. Lup just snickers at him and turns back to Kravitz, face expectant.

"So? What was it?"

Kravitz's eyes flick between the two of them, and he rubs at the side of his neck. "Um. Well, I was actually— I was hoping to speak, uh. Privately," he mumbles awkwardly. Lup blinks at him for a moment, and then breaks into a wide smile.

"Ohhh. Okay," she says, and quickly turns and starts shoving Taako towards the door. 

"Hey—!"

"Byetaakoseeyouinaminute!" she shouts brightly, then pushes him out into the hall and slams the door behind him.

Taako immediately turns and tries to shove the door open again, but Lup has her weight set against the other side, and it becomes quickly obvious that it’s a lost cause. So, he gives up with grace and a raised middle finger that she can’t see.

"I'll be outside! Waiting! _Alone_!" he yells, then heads down the hall to do exactly - well. Not _exactly_ that. Instead, he steps out onto the porch and creeps over to the side nearest to the living room so he can carefully peer in through the window.

 _Speak privately_. Of _course_ he's gonna eavesdrop.

Or at least, eaves-look. While he can kind of see what’s going on, filtered through a gap in the translucent curtains lining the window, the two inside the room aren’t speaking loud enough to be heard through solid glass and wood, and he’s no lip-reader. Damn. But, going by body language alone, Kravitz looks nervous. He's doing that restless fidgety thing he does where he fusses with his clothes as he talks, not making eye contact. He rambles for a bit before Lup cuts him off with a confused smile on her face, and then he seems to ask a question - and a very tentative one at that.

Whatever it is, Lup must give him a good answer, because he beams and responds enthusiastically, and when Lup opens her arms for a hug he only hesitates for a second before moving in and embracing her quickly. He seems relieved when he steps back, still smiling broadly, and the two of them exchange a few more words before Lup makes a gesture towards the porch over her shoulder and Taako has to quickly duck away just in case one of them decides to take a look outside.

What was _that_ about? Were - they couldn't've been talking about _him_ , could they? Fuck, didn't people used to ask relatives for permission to date or whatever? That couldn’t be it. Could it?

A couple of minutes or so later, he hears the living room door shut, and scrambles over to the other side of the porch to sit on the swing and attempt to look like he's been waiting there impatiently the whole time. Lup opens the front door with a thoughtful look on her face, not actually bothering to acknowledge him until he calls for her attention himself.

"What was that all about?" he asks, casual as he can manage and definitely not paranoid in the least. Lup glances over at him and raises an eyebrow, and scoffs a laugh as she wanders over.

"You can relax, baby bro, not everything's about you."

"So what, then?" he presses, but Lup only rolls her eyes at him.

"Private conversation, Taaquito. Maybe he'll tell you if he feels like it."

She shakes her head and breathes a laugh at the floor, seeming... he's not sure what. Pleasantly surprised, maybe? In any case, after a moment she looks back at him and smiles, and claps him on the shoulder.

"Y’know, think I can make it to the bus on my own. Pretty incredible guy you've picked, though. Almost as cool as yours truly," she says with a wink, and saunters away down the path towards the road, whistling to herself as she goes.

Kravitz is sat at the bottom of the stairs when Taako comes back inside, and he looks like he's buzzing. Like, literally; it's kind of hard to focus on him because it looks like his form is vibrating slightly even though he's sitting completely still. When he sees Taako come in, though, he settles a little and stands up to meet him, and says, "Ah, Taako, sorry to - sorry, um, about that, I just - I had something I wanted to ask her, and..."

He trails off, chewing his lip. Obviously he doesn’t wanna be rude by saying anything further about not wanting Taako in there, but it’s kind of a little late for that.

“Yeah, I get it - private conversation,” Taako huffs. “So, what, you guys starting some kinda secret club or something?”

“Ah, no, I just - I wanted to...” Kravitz drops his gaze and fiddles with a cufflink, looking nervous again. “I just, never thought I'd meet anyone else, I suppose. Like me,” he says, so quiet he’s barely audible. Taako frowns at him, confused now.

"Like—?"

Kravitz glances back at him and away again, seeming agitated. "Well, um. Not satisfied with the hand we were dealt, if you see what I mean," he says. When Taako only shakes his head slightly in response, he makes an uncomfortable attempt at a smile and scratches at his face. "Okay, no, well... um. Your sister said 'same hat'?"

Taako stares at him blankly. "You're a pyromaniac?"

"No, I—" Kravitz has started to flicker now, fingers restless and twitchy, but after a second he breathes a sigh and drags a hand over his face. "Okay, listen, this - this really isn't an easy thing for me to do, so just... bear with me a moment."

“Uh, sure, my dude,” Taako says, more bemused than ever. “Whenever you're, uh. Ready.”

He waits fairly patiently (if he does say so himself), wondering if this is something to do with the parts of Kravitz’s history he doesn’t seem to want to talk about. But... the guy doesn’t look tense. Nervous, yes, and definitely fidgety, but not wound tight in the way he gets when Taako accidentally asks the wrong kind of question. He just seems to be trying to put his words together more than anything else.

"Right,” Kravitz says, after a few moments and a couple of deep breaths. “So. After - after a certain number of years, I, um - I realised that - well, I didn't much like, being, uh—" He swallows, and brings one hand up to fuss with his hair as he stares determinedly at the kitchen door instead of Taako. "I-I just felt I'd be more comfortable with myself if I was treated like a man. So I took matters into my own hands." His eyes flick back over, watching Taako carefully as he waits for a reaction. "Do you understand what - what I'm trying to say?"

"Oh.  _Oh_ , ye— Yeah, I - I got it, shit," Taako stutters, now feeling _incredibly_ sheepish. It really wasn't _anything_ to do with him. "Sorry."

"Why - why are you sorry?" Kravitz asks, a confused and brittle approximation of a smile on his face.

Taako starts winding a few braids around his fingers, wondering what the best way to come back from seeming like a completely self-absorbed and nosy asshole is. Honestly, he could probably be described that way on an average day and be okay with that, but he doesn’t want _Kravitz_ to think that. He can’t exactly admit he thought they were talking about _him_ , now can he?

"Well, I mean - clearly you - you wanted a private conversation," he mumbles. "I should've, uh. Not grilled you about it. My bad.”

Kravitz releases a breath, and the worriedness visibly drains from his frame as his smile melts into something nervous, but genuine. "That's alright. It's not that - I don't really mind you knowing, just - historically, it was, uh, something I really had to keep to myself. For safety's sake, you understand. Hell, I would’ve been - p-probably committed at best," he says with a shaky laugh, and then swallows, suddenly turning quiet. "I've only ever told... less than a handful of people. And none that really ever understood. So. I just thought it'd be easier to talk to your sister first."

“Yeah. Yeah, my man, I get it,” Taako murmurs, rubbing awkwardly at his arm and still kind of feeling like an ass. “And, uh, thanks for trusting me. I know that's, uh, that's scary.”

"Well, I was, um, pretty sure you weren't gonna react badly, considering," Kravitz says, another nervous smile moving across his face. “Just - one step at a time. Old habits an’ all. And I didn’t really want to have to threaten to kick you out again on the off chance you made a fuss.”

"Yeah, that’d be a bit of a shitty backslide," Taako agrees with a broken snort of a laugh, then bites his lip and gives Kravitz a look of careful curiosity. "Still, you just... went and did it? Just like that?"

Kravitz only shrugs and smiles a little. "Gets easier to reinvent yourself when you're a whole ocean away from every person you've ever met."

Taako is starting to feel like the universe is just bullying him at this point. So not only is the guy sweet and funny and handsome, he's also brave as all hell. God, he _is_ fucking incredible and Taako _is_ just a little bit smitten with him. This is so _unfair_.

"Jeez. That's fuckin' - _hardcore_ , ghost boy,” he says, running a hand over his hair as he tries to process just how bad he actually has it here. “Fuck."

Kravitz gives a slightly awkward laugh. "Uh - thank you?"

"I just - it's brave, I mean. It's— Admirable. Really."

“I'm glad you think so,” Kravitz chuckles, looking like all his nervousness has completely dissipated now. “And that other people seem to have it a little easier than I did. Your sister said—“ He scratches at the side of his nose where the skin has started to wrinkle up. “Well, I would've hoped things'd moved forward a little further, but... I guess you can only expect so much from people.”

Taako huffs a derisive laugh and shakes his head slightly. "Nah, my dude, I'm disappointed in humanity too, trust me," he says, slightly bitterly. Then he has an idea, and breaks into an excitable smile as he meets Kravitz's eyes with enthusiasm. "Hey, have I showed you Queer Eye yet?"

Kravitz shakes his head, watching him in mild bemusement. "I don't think so, no."

"What the _shit_ \- okay, we're gonna binge the whole thing right now," Taako says, taking Kravitz by the arm and dragging him back into the living room. "You're gonna love it."

 

-*-

 

They settle down in their now-established places at either end of the sofa, and Taako turns on the TV and brings up Netflix. And even as they’re sitting watching the title sequence of the first episode, he finds himself wishing he could close the distance and just... god, lean his head on Kravitz’s shoulder? Maybe kiss him a little bit? Maybe _cuddle_? Fuck, this whole deal is exhausting.

He doesn’t move, though. He keeps to his side of the sofa, and watches Queer Eye for the millionth time, and pretends not to notice Kravitz crying through every single episode. It's... still pretty nice.

They’re a quarter of the way into the second season when the hall clock rings out midnight, and Kravitz sits up and turns towards the sound, trying to subtly wipe at his face at the same time.

“Shit, it’s - it’s pretty late,” he sniffs, and then coughs and clears his throat, and speaks again a little stronger this time. “You should, um, probably go to bed. I’m sure this can wait for another day.”

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say no to some shut-eye,” Taako yawns, reaching over to grab the remote and turn off the TV - although, he is kind of disappointed as well. Both that their little hang session is over and that he hadn’t managed to work up the courage to actually do anything about - well, about anything. “We can watch the rest tomorrow night if you want.”

Kravitz brightens visibly at the suggestion, looking like if he had a tail it would definitely be wagging. Shit, maybe Lup really did have a point about the puppy thing. “Yeah, that’d be - I’d like that.”

“You, uh - enjoyed it, then?” Taako asks, biting his lip against a dangerously soft smile that’s being spun out of the warm fuzziness spreading through his chest. This is awful. And kind of nice? But also fucking awful.

"They're even more confusing to listen to than you," Kravitz laughs softly, oblivious to the horrible terrible things that laugh is doing to Taako. "But, it was nice, yes. Thank you for showing it to me. Things like this are..." He shakes his head, another wry laugh breathed onto the air, and shrugs slightly for lack of words. "Well, baffling to me, but very much appreciated."

"Guess it's a far cry from home, huh?" Taako asks gently. Kravitz heaves a sigh, eyes drifting away into the past and into memory.

“It was just... how things were. And it was so hard to see how that would ever change. In - in a whole lot of ways.”

He looks back over at Taako with such a mixed expression it’s almost impossible to read. A little sadness, maybe. Some weariness. “Taako, when I left home, I knew I was making a choice,” he says. “I mean, obviously I was - I was making the choice to come here, and to abandon who I used to be, but - I knew what I was risking, and what I was giving up.” He turns back to the TV, and it might just be the light reflected from the screen, but his eyes look a little brighter than they did before. “I accepted that, but - seeing things like this, I just... I can't describe to you how happy it makes me. Even if it's not all the way there yet.”

"...Yeah," Taako manages, chest so full he barely has enough air for that much. This is such a pain in the ass, but - Kravitz just looks so happy. Soft-eyed and smiling and _gorgeous_ with at _least_ one capital G in there and oh boy is Taako in way too deep.

Giving him a small smile in return for that _incredibly_ eloquent response, Kravitz gets up to go draw the curtains for the night, part of a routine Taako has never bothered to question. He supposes it must be some way of staying sane through such an indefinite length of existence; a way of breaking up endless strings of days without any sleep to mark the time.

But - anyway, this'd be a good time to get stuff out in the open, right? While they're sharing personal shit? They’ve - they’ve got a channel open, Taako knows where he stands, and - he trusts Lup with his life and if she says he’s got a chance here, then he’s at least gotta try, right? Right?

"Um, Krav?" he asks in a squeak, heart beating so hard it's threatening to shatter a rib or two any moment.

"Mmn?" Kravitz hums in response, not turning around.

Taako opens his mouth to say something along the lines of " _I'm kinda super interested in you and kinda super wanna kiss your stupid handsome freezy face_ " - and instead blurts "Y— You're rad, babe," shoots a finger gun in Kravitz's direction, and flees the room.

Shit.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> So, this one was kind of a big one for me. Krav being trans wasn't really something I wanted to pull as a reveal, and this isn't how I would normally approach things, but it's a hard one to bring up organically in the circumstances of this story. That said, it's important to me that this is a known fact for this fic, so hopefully it didn't come off as a shock reveal - that really wasn't what I was going for here
> 
> Something I will say right now, as well? Krav's death has nothing to do with his gender identity, sexuality or race. I don't do that shit so you can rule those out!
> 
> (I’m also running on target to have this section of the story wrapping up in time for the one-year anniversary of this fic, which is halloween! Almost makes up for not managing to make it before 100k lmao. Anyway, that means around two weeks for the next update unless I get impatient :) )


	20. Touchy Subject

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eventually, something's gonna give.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy halloween ;)

 

"I told him he was _rad_ , Lup," Taako whines from behind the safety of the bathroom door, slumped with his back against the wood as he reflects on how he could have possibly been  _any more goddamn awkward_ back there. Lup laughs over the phone, clearly taking pleasure in his highly justified and definitely unexaggerated lamenting.

" _Relax, 'Ko, it could've been worse,_ " she snorts. Taako lets his head thunk back against the door.

" _How_ could it’ve been _worse?_ "

" _Remember when Barry kept trying to flirt with me_?" Lup asks, and - yeah, that does actually make Taako feel a little better. Barry trying to flirt had been a circus act and a half.

"He said I had a good face _,_ " he snickers, remembering the delightful shade of red Barry had turned while trying to stutter out that little number.

" _He said you had a good face!_” Lup howls, thumping something nearby with her hand as she does, “ _While trying to flirt with me!_"

There’s a noise in the background of the call that sounds kind of like indignant grumbling, and Lup blows a raspberry off to the side of the phone, still giggling.

“ _Relax, babe, I’m just tryna make him feel better. Taako’s not used to acting like a total dweeb._ ”

”Gee, thanks,” Taako deadpans. “You’re really drawing aces on the emotional support here.”

Lup’s laughter subsides slightly, giggles fading into the occasional entertained sniffle.  _"Oh, Taako, c'mon. What happened to 'everyone that sees me immediately wants to get into bed with me'?"_

"That's still true," Taako mumbles. That's just a fact. He knows he's hot shit, that's not the issue. It's the stuff on the _inside_ that might make a guy want to run for the hills. Or laugh. Or something.

" _So why the lack of confidence?_ ” Lup asks. “ _Don't tell me you're so far gone for this guy he's actually making you nervous?_"

"I'm hanging up now," Taako says flatly, and only just catches Lup shout his name as he pulls the phone away from his ear. Reluctantly, he lifts it back up, thumb ready and waiting to disconnect the call at the first hint of ribbing, and says, “...What.”

Lup gives a small sigh, and though there’s a smile in the sound she doesn’t laugh or tease him. “ _For real, you'll be fine, ‘Ko_ ,” she says gently. “ _He likes you, I promise. You can slap me if I'm wrong. And it doesn't have to happen overnight, either._ ”

Taako scoffs and tugs at the hem of one of his socks. "Well of course _you'd_ say that."

” _Hey, be nice or I’m rescinding the slap offer._ ”

“Like you have to give me permission.”

” _Sure do, ‘cause I’d kick your ass in a real fight and you know it_ ,” Lup retorts. Taako doesn’t have the will to argue. And - well, she’s probably right, too.

“ _Yeah, I thought so,_ ” Lup continues when he stays silent, audibly smug. “ _Now stop hiding and go talk to your goddamn crush, dingus. I’m sure if you fake a faint he’ll catch you in his arms and sweep you off your feet!_ ” she adds brightly, and immediately hangs up before he can respond. He’s left glaring at a blank screen instead, grumbling to nobody in particular.

He supposes he really should go back down there, though, even if he did make a fucking fool of himself. Like, things somehow worked out for _Barry_ , and Taako’s nowhere near that much of a nerd. It’ll be fine, probably. And the bathroom floor isn’t exactly comfortable, either.

He tries not to look too sheepish as he opens the door back into the living room, but it turns out not to actually matter, because Kravitz isn’t even in there. The lights and the TV are off, the curtains drawn and all the mess Taako had left on the table pushed into a manageable pile, as usual. Frowning, Taako moves back into the hall and pokes his head into the (also dark) kitchen instead, and after some squinting finds Kravitz at the table, slumped forwards in one of the chairs with his face resting on the wood and his arms folded over the back of his head, semi-visible and flickering intermittently.

“Uh,” Taako says articulately as he flips on the light, and watches Kravitz snap upright in surprise, quickly smoothing and straightening out his clothes as if to pretend he hadn’t been doing anything out of the ordinary. Taako, in return, pretends not to notice how super fucking weird that had been and goes to the cupboard to pull down a glass for some water. "Sorry, I just, uh - really had to pee, and - when you gotta go, you gotta go, y'know?" he bluffs, and hopes he sounds at least a little convincing.

"Oh, I - I just figured you'd gone to bed," Kravitz says, seeming embarrassed at being caught doing - whatever it was he was doing. Moping, maybe. He hadn’t even been listening to music or anything, just sat in the dark doing nothing. Taako had always just assumed he found himself something to do at night, but maybe he’d been wrong about that.

”Is... this what you do all night?” he asks carefully as he waits for his glass to fill. “Just sit here?”

”No,” Kravitz replies quickly, then his mouth twitches slightly and he looks away, awkwardly fixing his collar. “Well, sometimes. I’ve got books and things, and the TV or the record player if I keep them quiet, but - honestly, there’s only so many distractions you can go through in a night. Sometimes it’s easier to just, uh...” He shrugs, and flicks a hand to turn off the water before Taako’s glass overflows under his lack of attention. “‘Zone out,’ I think you said.”

”Right.” Taako takes a sip of his water. “Guess it must, uh - must suck being stuck inside all the time, huh?”

Kravitz makes a small, noncommittal noise as he shifts his position, in a way that suggests to Taako that he probably agrees but doesn’t want to say as much. ”It’s - I wouldn’t say it _sucks_ , as you say, just - normally I’d have long gone dormant again by now. This is the longest I’ve been awake in... well, ever, probably,” he says, a kind of thoughtful surprise moving across his face at that last part. Then he shakes himself and flashes a guilty smile, returning his attention to Taako again. “Ah, and - I’m keeping you awake as well, sorry. Go - please go get some rest, I’m fine, really.”

Taako nods slightly, but doesn’t move just yet. Instead, he sips at his water and watches Kravitz for a little longer while he considers how _boring_  this kind of existence must be, knowing that you’re literally and figuratively stuck in the same space forever. That’s gotta be at least a little depressing, if nothing else. People need goals, right? They need a reason to exist, otherwise - well, what’s the point? From that perspective, he can start to understand a little of why Kravitz is always so insistent on helping him with everything all the time. He probably just wants something to _do_.

He drains his glass and turns back to the sink to refill it again, and says, ”Hey, you - you wanted to learn to cook, right?”

”Well, yes, but - you really should—“

”No, I’m not - I’m not offering a lesson, Casper, I’m giving you homework,” Taako interrupts, turning around again with a small laugh. “You know how to use my laptop, go do some research on flavour profiles and stuff. And then you can pick something that we can make tomorrow night with what I’ve got in.”

”Oh.” Kravitz blinks at him for a second, then sits up and smiles ever so slightly, and Taako internally counts one self-assigned mission a success. “Yeah, uh - yeah, okay. I can do that,” Kravitz agrees, and then pointedly glances from him towards the door. “If you go to bed.”

”Yeah, relax, bubeleh, I’m goin’,” Taako snickers, throwing him a dainty wave with his free hand as he makes for the door. “Night, Krav.”

”Goodnight, Taako,” Kravitz calls after him, and Taako hates how wide just those two words make him smile. “Sleep well.”

Smiling wider, Taako goes upstairs and gets changed, brushes his teeth, ties back the braids in his hair that are still holding as neat as they were yesterday, and goes to bed not feeling too bad about things as they stand. Lup's right, it doesn't have to happen overnight. He can build up to it. And, unlike _some_ people he knows, it’s definitely not gonna take him over five fucking years.

 

-*-

 

So, it turns out that Kravitz really _was not kidding_ about not being able to cook. Even with supervision, he almost mistakes sugar for salt, forgets about things after putting them on the stove, criminally under- and then over-seasons Taako’s food to the point where it’s barely salvageable, and just kind of generally turns everything he touches into a disaster zone. Taako decides pretty quickly that the guy’s mom must’ve had the heart of a saint to let him anywhere near a kitchen at all.

He's clearly trying his best, though, despite having the literal opposite of natural talent in the area - potentially a curse, even - and Taako has to give him credit for that. Honestly, the fact that he's trying so hard might be half the problem; he's focusing so much on not messing up one thing that he inevitably ends up messing up another instead. But his concentrating face is pretty cute, and whenever Taako takes over so that he can show off a bit he stands back and watches enraptured, so Taako can't even be mad about his meal almost getting completely ruined a dozen times along the way.

"My question is," Taako says as he puts a couple of finishing touches on a semi-edible bacon and mushroom risotto, "Why the hell didn't you pick something easier to start with? This shit isn't exactly beginner level, Krav, we coulda made some mac 'n' cheese in like twenty minutes no sweat."

”W— Well, there was - was a lot to choose from,” Kravitz replies awkwardly, already running the water hot at the sink so he can start soaking the burnt sections off of Taako’s poor frying pan. Luckily Taako had had the foresight to take out one of his shittier ones to use. “I just picked something I hadn’t seen before that you had all the ingredients to make.”

Taako glances over at him, chewing his lip. Part of him really wants to think that Kravitz picked a more complicated recipe to impress him or so they could spend more time together while prepping, but he gently steers away from that thought. Can't be running before you've even taken a step out the gate.

”So of course you picked something that’s _famously_  hard to get right,” he says instead, snickering. Kravitz flickers into semi-transparency and almost drops the pan into the sink.

”It - sounded easier than it was.”

”No shit,” Taako giggles, grabbing a spoon from the side and taking his bowl over to the table along with a glass of some of the leftover wine. “We’ll see if it tastes better than it looks, too.”

”You’ll forgive me for not holding my breath,” Kravitz snorts. He seems to be trying to look mostly uninvested in the outcome, but the too-frequent glances in Taako’s direction kind of betray that whole act.  

“Nah, listen, I’m sure it’s not gonna be that bad,” Taako says, and obligingly scoops up some food to taste. “Unless the whole friendship thing has been a cunning ruse for you to get close enough to poison me?”

A small, gentle smile moves across Kravitz’s face, fond in a way that makes Taako’s core flare warm - especially to see it directed his way. “It’s not.”

”Then it’ll be fine,” Taako assures, smiling back, and then immediately eats his words along with one of the worst spoonfuls of risotto he’s ever tasted.

Like, it’s not _awful_ , because Taako did intermittently jump in to pull things back from the brink, but he hadn’t wanted to get too involved either, and in hindsight that might’ve been a super duper big mistake. But, he has the thought that even though it’s technically pretty absymal, the fact that he didn’t just make it for himself adds something. And that thought brings him onto another one, which is that he’s never cooked dinner with a guy before. Like, he’s cooked with his _employees_  or whoever, and he’s cooked _for_  guys he’s been dating a handful of times, but never _with._  None of them had ever bothered to help out, or if they‘d offered he’d never let them.

But he had with Kravitz. And he’d had a lot of fun. Even though Kravitz is undoubtedly the _absolute_   _worst_ sous-chef he’s ever had - and that includes Magnus, so that’s saying something. He’s just so different from anybody else Taako has ever dated; sweet, considerate, decent moral compass, a conservative dresser, even. And dead, obviously, but he’s already belaboured that detail long enough. The point is, he’s really nothing like any of Taako’s exes, and it makes Taako wonder whether it’s because guys like him are really that rare or if he’s just been looking in the wrong places all his life. Honestly, given the shit he’d kicked up and been pushed through to get to this point he wouldn’t be surprised if most of his past relationship implosions had just been unconscious self-sabotage.

”Um, Taako?” Kravitz asks, interrupting his thoughts with concern on his voice and in his eyes. “Is it that bad?”

Taako clears his throat and drops his spoon back into his bowl, and does his very best not to focus on any unsettling revelations he might be having about his psyche for the current moment. There’ll be time for an existential crisis later. “S— Sorry, I was just thinkin’ about, uh - stuff,” he says, shoving another bite of too-hot and too-mushy risotto into his mouth. “Like, normal stuff. Like, uh. Horses.”

Surprisingly enough, that response doesn’t seem to make Kravitz any less concerned. ”You were... thinking about horses?”

”Uh, yeah,” Taako replies, feeling like if he pitched his voice any higher all the neighbourhood dogs would probably come running. “Like, y’know they walk on their fingernails? How fucked up is that?”

”...Right.” Kravitz’s eyes flick from Taako to the bowl in front of him, possibly wondering if it’s somehow spiked instead of just sub-par. “So, the food is... okay?”

Taako forces down another bite and washes it down with a gulp of wine that helps to hide his grimace. ”It’s uh. Definitely edible.”

”But not good,” Kravitz says with a tentative laugh. Taako scoffs and takes another combination spoonful of risotto and mouthful of wine.

"Hey, ch’boy was involved, so it’s at least _good._ "

"Despite the help," Kravitz chuckles.

"Absolutely."

Kravitz watches him attempt to eat for a few seconds longer before laughing softly and telling him, ”You can say it’s bad, Taako. I won’t mind if you don’t eat it.”

”Nope, it’s - it’s really fine,” Taako insists. He doesn't, however, take his time over eating, piling as much of his food as he can into his mouth as fast as possible and knocking back the rest of his wine to take the edge off while Kravitz is distracted with the dishes. No need to make him feel too bad. But next time, this is definitely gonna be a more hands-on operation on Taako's part.

Maybe if he can get his nerve up sometime soon it could be _very_ hands-on. Maybe something that requires a little less standing and stirring and a little more throwing into the oven and forgetting about while you go do something more fun.

He doesn’t notice he’s started daydreaming until his empty bowl and glass lift off the table and float towards the sink, where Kravitz catches them and deposits them in the awaiting pool of soapy water.

”Oh,” Taako says, blinking out of his stupor. “Uh - hey, thanks for washing up.”

“No trouble,” Kravitz shrugs, rinsing out the bowl and setting it aside. Taako stands from his seat and wanders over to recork the wine bottle and put it in the fridge, and then moves back over to Kravitz and nudges him gently in the arm to get him to look at him.

“No, really, my dude, I appreciate it. It’s a big help.”

“It’s - really nothing,” Kravitz replies awkwardly, losing visibility again as he turns back to the sink. There’s a shy smile touching his face, though, so Taako doesn’t think he’s said the wrong thing. He waits until the last of the dishes have been set aside before nudging Kravitz’s arm again and nodding towards the living room.

“Cool, c’mon. You wanna go finish the rest of Queer Eye?”

Kravitz looks suddenly very sheepish, although he's obviously trying not to show it. “Y— Yeah, uh. Sure. Just let me dry these off,” he says, picking up a pan and a dishcloth from next to the sink. Taako watches him in amusement, biting his lip as he tries not to laugh.

”...Krav?”

”Uh. Yes?”

”You watched the rest without me, didn’t you?”

Kravitz makes a face and focuses all the harder on drying off the pan. ”Um. Yeah,” he admits, seemingly attempting to hide behind the dish towel as he does. “I found myself at something of a loss while you were at work. And I finished the bakeoff too. Sorry.”

Taako can't help but snort into his hand at that. God, people really are always gonna be people. “I’ve seen ‘em all before anyway, bubeleh, it’s fine,” he laughs.

"I wouldn't mind watching them again?" Kravitz offers, probably as some kind of recompense, but Taako waves him off with an accompanying shake of his head.

”Nah, I’m sure we can find something new. Or actually, you can make it up to me by finding something easier to make tomorrow first. Try looking up _beginner_ recipes,” he suggests, elbowing Kravitz playfully in the ribs as he does. Kravitz almost drops the pan again in response, but then smiles and sets it down, one hand subtly coming up to brush over his side where Taako had hit him.

”I suppose that would probably be a better start,” he says. “I’ll, um - I’ll sort this out later. Would you help me pick something? I don't really know what’s supposed to be easy.”

”God, how did you ever manage to feed yourself?” Taako laughs, turning to head out of the room. “Must’ve had somebody looking after you, huh?”

The sound of footsteps trailing him stops abruptly, and Taako glances back over his shoulder just in time to see another glimmer of bone-deep _loss_ sweep across Kravitz’s features before it’s quickly smothered again and Kravitz turns away towards the table to grab Taako’s laptop from the far end.

”Would probably help to have this, wouldn’t it?” he says jokingly as he brushes past him out of the room, smile just a little too tight to be convincing.

Whatever that had been, Taako doesn’t bring it up as they settle in the living room, Kravitz leant forward in the armchair with Taako’s laptop on the table in front of him and Taako curled up on the sofa pretending to do something interesting on his phone.

It bugs him, Kravitz’s caginess about his life, and especially about the company he used to keep. Lup had shot down all of the excuses he’d given for not being honest about his feelings, except one: that woman Kravitz mentioned the other day. Mira. Taako feels like if she was someone so important to him they really need to talk about that before starting something new, right? Especially if he’s still hung up on her. Seems like something that needs resolving as, like, a step one. Healthy foundation and honesty and stuff. He’s read enough pseudopsychology magazines in enough boring waiting rooms to know that much.

How to bring it up, though? He’s gotta be direct enough that Kravitz won’t just dodge the issue, but not so direct that he’s forcing him into a corner. Taako can’t see that ending well. It takes him a few minutes of mentally rehearsing the conversation before he finally decides on, "You married, Krav?"

Kravitz's head snaps up at the question, eyes wide, before he quickly looks away again. Taako’s not sure if that’s a good sign or not.

"Why do you want to know that?" Kravitz replies, tone deceptively even for how tense he looks. Taako puts on his best casual face, idly picking at his nail beds. Actually, now that he's looking at them they could probably do with some maintenance.

"Just curious. You never talk about stuff like that."

Kravitz shrugs slightly, eyes still fixed on the laptop screen. "I don't see that it really makes a difference any more. Everyone I ever knew is dead, I’d imagine that would make most contracts null and void."

"Bu-ut? Married?" Taako presses. Kravitz sighs at him.

"Do you see a ring on my finger, Taako?"

There is no ring. Taako may or may not have checked several dozen times in the last two days. "Okay, but like, that doesn't mean you never were, right? There's like, a million reasons for you not to be wearing a ring."

"Choose one, then," Kravitz huffs, going back to his reading.

"'Kay, fine, y'don't gotta be all snippy about it," Taako grumbles to himself. It wasn't really an answer, was it? Evasive as ever.

He props his chin on his hand and just watches Kravitz read for a minute, thinking. Fuck, he's handsome in profile, too. And, okay, _way_ older than him if you count the dead guy years, but physically he's only, what - thirty? They're like, the same age, really. Like, technically.

It's kind of a young one to have died at though. Assuming he didn't just change his appearance to look that age, what could have killed him that young? A disease, an accident? A _murder_? Maybe that’s why he’s so tight-lipped about anything in that area, maybe it was gruesome. Maybe it was something really dumb and he’s just embarrassed about it. Are they at a point where Taako is allowed to ask about that yet?

He could try, he supposes. Even if he gets shot down, he’ll only be back where he started. He just has to approach the topic... delicately.

So he gives it another minute, and then he clears his throat and asks, "You're not too old, are you?"

Kravitz gives another beleaguered sigh in response. "I think we've established that I am, in fact, pretty old."

“No, I mean like - like your face,” Taako explains, waving a hand in the direction of Kravitz’s head. “You don't look all wrinkly or whatever, makes me wonder what happened that cut you short and got you stuck here.”

And there it is. He’s touched on something he shouldn’t have, and Kravitz has gone rigid as - well, as a corpse, ironically. For someone who’s supposed to be good at cards, the guy’s got some real obvious tells.

After a moment, Kravitz takes a careful, measured breath. “I wouldn't know about my age, I've no way of looking at myself,” he says diplomatically, not looking over at him. He's obviously diverting the conversation, but Taako can play along. Plus, that's kind of a weird statement in itself.

"You don't know what you look like? At all?"

At that, Kravitz actually _winces_ , which Taako takes to mean that wasn’t something he’d meant to admit to. “I-I mean, I have an impression, but I can't tell if it's right,” he fumbles. “Been a long time since I could look in a mirror.”

"Well first of all, you’re handsome as hell," Taako starts, and Kravitz scratches at his cheek and smiles slightly, even though he's simultaneously disappearing - phasing the fuck out as usual. Taako continues on regardless. "Got nice eyebrows, real dark and serious eyes, great smile, all that. And I'd say you look like, thirty. Give or take a few years."

Kravitz's frown returns at that last addition. "Does my age matter that much?"

“My point, homes, is that there's no reason for you to have died so young,” Taako says, folding his arms over the side of the sofa. “So what happened?”

"Y'know, thirty years was considered a pretty good run in my time," Kravitz replies, going back to reading the screen. Taako reaches over and flips the lid closed.

"Not an answer, bubeleh," he says, and huffs in frustration when Kravitz lifts his chin and turns his face away from him, leaning back into his seat. "Oh, c'mon. I'm like, _dying_ of curiosity here. I'll let you keep this for a whole week if you tell me," he adds, tapping the laptop’s casing.

Kravitz continues to avoid his eyes, expression tight. "It's not important."

“Please?” Taako wheedles. “I'll up my offer, a whole month.”

"You can't bribe me with that!" Kravitz shoots back, verging on angry now. Taako lets him simmer for a minute before poking again.

"Is it something embarrassing?” he asks. “I promise I won't laugh, even if you died jerkin' it."

Kravitz glowers at him, and the lights in the room flicker dangerously.

"Alright, alright, I won't joke about it," Taako mumbles, slightly cowed. Maybe he _should_ be a little more sensitive. It’s kind of a big life event, he supposes. Probably the biggest.

"...Will you tell me if I ask nicely?" he tries, gentler this time.

“No,” Kravitz says curtly. Taako groans and rolls upside-down on the sofa.

"You're killin' me here, Krav.  _Killing_  me. Is it that bad?"

"It's - please just drop it, I don't wanna talk about it," Kravitz replies, hands curling into fists against his thighs.

"But why not?” Taako presses, “You don't think it'd make you feel better? Talk it out?"

" _No_ , it wouldn't."

" _Why_?"

"Because I don't bloody  _know!_ " Kravitz shouts suddenly, and vanishes. The house shakes with the force of his voice, and the room dips into darkness for a moment before the lights come back up.

So. That went well.

Taako lies there for a second, feeling - by his standards - pretty terrible. Way to go, dumbass, stick your nose right into probably the most sensitive topic you can manage instead of talking about your feelings, good fucking job. Another solid F in sincerity for Taako.

But... he doesn't know?

"...Krav?" he calls quietly, wondering whether he's left the room or if he's just pulling his invisible man routine. There's no response, and although that doesn't mean much, Taako gets the sense that he's alone. So he rolls off the sofa and goes to search the house to maybe try to fix his mess.

 

-*-

 

He finds his quarry curled up on the ledge of a bay window upstairs, staring outside, barely more visible than the glass himself, although he solidifies a little when he sees Taako approach.

"Oh, um. Hi. Sorry I shouted," he murmurs. Taako shakes his head and shrugs slightly, feeling like he has more than a little to apologise for himself.

"S'cool. I did kinda push you."

Kravitz purses his lips, eyes fixed on his shoes. "No, I... I really should've mentioned it before now. Silly thing to keep a secret, it's just..."

He lapses into silence, worrying at his lip. It looks like he might be searching for words, but as the time ticks by, Taako decides to give him a nudge.

"Scary, huh?" he offers, remembering the last issue they’d had like this, but Kravitz drops his head and sighs.

"No, it's not—" he starts, then huffs a weary noise and passes a hand over his face. "Well, maybe a little, but..."

"...But what?" Taako prompts. Kravitz watches him for a long, careful moment, then breathes another deep sigh and turns his eyes towards his feet.

"I didn't want you to pity me," he says quietly, sounding like it’s absolutely the last admission he'd wanted to make. "You were the first in a long, _long_ time to treat me like another person, Taako. A real, actual  _person_ , not a - a-a spirit, or a dead man, or some kind of demon. But sometimes you - you'd look at me and I could _tell_ you were looking at me like a puzzle instead of a person. And that's not a nice feeling, especially when we're - when we're supposed to be friends.” He pauses, fingers moving down the creases on his pants as if he could’ve rumpled them somehow. “So I thought that... perhaps if I avoided the issue long enough, you’d lose interest. Should've considered that making it all the more alluring, really.

"And I can see why you'd be curious,” he adds, more hushed than before, wrapping his arms around his knees again and turning his face away towards the window, “Really, I can, I just... I don't need pity for something I don't even remember. I don't want it. I don't want to be a story that needs finishing, or - or some kind of problem to be solved." His hands are still, now, clasped tightly together as he frowns down at them with laden eyes. "I don't exist in the past tense."

Taako looks back at him in silence, unable to come up with a response. He can't even refute any of it. He had been treating him like a puzzle, after all - like a mystery. Like a story he was entitled to hear the end of, instead of a person with past hurts that were his own business. That wasn't fair. God, he really hadn’t been aceing the whole friendship thing, had he? 

"For - for what it's worth, I don't, uh - I-I don't think you're a problem, or - or whatever," he mumbles eventually, standing awkwardly next to the seat as he twists and untwists a few braids around each other. "I like havin' you here. I was just bein' nosy, so it's - I didn't mean to upset you or anything. So - sorry, for, um - for prying. And - for being a bad friend, I guess." He coughs and pushes his hair back over his shoulder, and folds his arms across himself to stop him fidgeting any further. "And if you don't wanna talk about it, I, uh - won't ask again. Promise."

Kravitz looks back up at him, and after a few seconds some of the tension eases from his shoulders. "Thank you,” he says softly. Taako nods in response, and they stay like that in silence for a minute before Kravitz clears his throat and adds, “But... well, the cat's out of the bag now, really. I might as well explain."

Taako quickly shakes his head, and lifts his hands as if to physically push the suggestion away. "Nah, it's— I'm respecting boundaries, see? Not gonna stick my nose in, none of my business."

"Taako, I know you've been burning to ask since day one. It's fine," Kravitz says with a small chuckle. Taako lifts his eyes to look at him, and doesn't see any resentment or discomfort on his face. Only fondness, if anything.

"...You sure?"

Kravitz smiles slightly, and nods, and after a moment Taako decides to let his curiosity get the better of him. He moves in closer and sits down on the opposite side of the seat, drawing his legs up to mirror Kravitz’s so that the two of them are sitting toe to toe but not touching.

"So like, you didn't see what happened?" he asks quietly. "Was it fast or something?"

Like draining water, Kravitz’s smile falls away from his face to show what’s been underneath all this time - insecurity, and discomfort, and more of that fear that Taako had thought they’d laid to rest the last time they’d fought. And sadness, too, just a little. No wonder he’d been tense, with all this going on under the surface.

"Um. No, it's not... just that,” he murmurs, and turns his gaze back out the window, where rain is spattering quietly against the glass. "It's everything. All of my memories are just... patchy. Most of what I remember is what I've told you.” Brows furrowed, he turns back slightly to flick at some nonexistent dirt or dust on his knee. "I mean, I can remember more general things - like, I know how to read or use a light switch, what most things are, and I remember a fair amount of how the world used to be, I think. But almost anything of consequence - anything about myself, just... isn't there."

He laughs humourlessly and rests his temple against the window. Faint tendrils of frost start to spread across the surface, freezing a pattern of raindrops in place on the other side. "I don't even know if Kravitz is my real name. I never needed one before you asked me."

Taako stares at him in stunned silence. All those evasive answers, the tension in his shoulders, every time he froze and changed the subject - it wasn't that he wouldn't answer. It was that he _couldn't_. No wonder he hadn’t known he was dead - he had nothing to compare to in the first place.

"So - so you just made one up?" he asks, wondering how unsettling it must be to exist knowing absolutely nothing about yourself - not even your own name. "Nobody ever asked you before?"

"Too busy screaming," Kravitz says with a wry smile, but his expression quickly falls back to pensive again as he starts fussing with the hem of his jacket. "But I didn't... I don't think I made it up. It just kind of felt right. I - I think it's right. It happens sometimes, like I just, _know_ all of a sudden. Like when Angus asked if I was from London, or - or when you showed me that cat. Bits and pieces just come back as I need them sometimes." The frost is enveloping a good section of the window now, and Kravitz follows its continuing progress with distracted eyes. "I thought that maybe if I just kept talking to you I might remember everything eventually. Seemed as good a plan as any."

“Well, we could play twenty questions until you remember it all,” Taako suggests, “If you want.”

Kravitz shakes his head. He traces a finger across the window in nonsense patterns, and more frost follows behind his touch. "It's fine. It doesn't - doesn't really seem to work like that, not always. I get... flashes of things, impressions, or - fragments, I guess. And afterwards, it's obvious what set it off, but before there's no telling." He rubs wearily at his face, a sigh building in his chest that he releases in a small, exasperated huff. "It's not something that bothers me too much, if I'm honest, it's just a little - well, a little frustrating, that I don't know what happened. I don’t know why I’m here. And I can't leave this place to investigate, so there's no way for me to find out. I can't even use the internet without a name to go on."

He’s right, obviously, that investigating things by himself would be almost impossible. But, Taako thinks, _he’s_ not stuck here. He can leave. He could _help_  here. And - that's what you do when you care about someone, right? Help them out? It's not even that big of a deal, all he‘d have to do is sit back and let Angus do his thing for the most part.

"I mean, I could look into it for you," he offers tentatively, hoping this isn’t stepping too far over the line. "If you - y'know, if you wanted to know."

Kravitz lifts his head from the window to look at him, eyes wide. "You'd do that?" he asks quietly. Taako gives a very quick series of nods, dropping his legs from the seat so he can lean further forward.

"Sure. And - not because I wanna _solve_ you, or - or whatever. If you don't want to, it's - no biggie, only - y'know Ango likes to play detective, and he's pretty good at it, too, so - I just mean I could put him onto it for you, if you want. Bet he'd love an excuse to nose around." He braces himself for the next part, one hand coming up to play with his hair despite his best efforts. "I - I care about you, Krav. Like, uh - like a lot, y’know? Least I can do is offer a hand if you want it."

Kravitz stares at him, a little wary, looking like he can’t quite believe what Taako’s just said. Once bitten, twice shy, Taako supposes - and that’s fair, really. He hasn’t exactly been the most consistent in showing his affections so far.

"You... really care that much?" Kravitz asks softly.

Taako doesn't get the chance to respond, because suddenly he's got a mouthful of semi-corporeal hair and is faced with the strange sensation of being encased in cold static.

"Thank you. I'm really glad I didn't scare you off."

"Me too, Casper," Taako says, gently pulling Kravitz's hair away from his mouth and returning the embrace. The spectral fabric of the suit gives a little under the pressure, only resisting just enough to be tangible, and in that vulnerable moment Kravitz seems smaller than usual. Less like a powerful and mysterious entity and more like a lost soul stuck without a place to belong.

Taako knows what it's like to not have that. He knows what it's like to live in a place while always knowing it's not really where you should be - not really home. He'd made Lup his home instead, and eventually other people and places followed, but it had always started with her, always came back to her. Belonging to a place and not a person just doesn't make sense to him.

Home has always been a person to him. And, he thinks, as he squeezes the cold form wrapped in his arms a little harder, he might really like to be a person that's home to someone else.

After a moment, Kravitz pulls back, an awkward laugh falling into the space between them. "Sorry, that was, uh, that was - that pro'lly felt - a-all cold and weird, right?"

Taako shrugs, doing his best to project indifference instead of the fact that he could've stayed like that for a whole lot longer and been _so_ okay with that arrangement. "Eh. I could get used to it."

Kravitz watches him with a strange expression on his face - searching, considering. Looking for something. "Yeah?"

"Yeah," Taako replies, chewing his lip. "It's - it's a fun kinda weird."

It comes to Taako's attention how close they are, legs still tangled together and Kravitz practically sitting in his lap with his hands still holding his arms. In a flush of courage, he reaches up a hand and runs it over Kravitz's cheek, now mostly solid if still supernaturally chilly. Static coats his palm, and he catches the small, sharp intake of breath Kravitz takes in response to his touch. He looks utterly bewildered and terrified and _hopeful_ all at the same time, and that last part of the mix is what spurs Taako forward even further. "Gotta wonder what kissing that'd feel like."

Deep red-brown eyes hold his gaze, drawing him in again, and Taako thinks that this time, he might just let himself be caught. "Is that a request?"

"Well, I wouldn't say n—"

He's cut off by a pair of freezing cold lips pressed against his own, charged with latent electricity and eagerness. He jerks back in surprise, and is stunned for just long enough to see a flash of panic and hear a stuttered "O-oh, shit - I'm - I'm s—" before he's grabbing Kravitz's face and reconnecting them a little too quickly in an awkward smushing of noses, surprise rapidly shifting into delight.

For a moment, he's only met with stiffness and confusion, but that melts away faster than candle wax under an open flame, and then the tension between them suddenly snaps, both of them having finally found the same fucking page at _last_. Taako takes his cue to press forward, threading his fingers into Kravitz's hair and gripping his thigh with his other hand, laughing into his mouth as his palm sinks through it onto the seat even as the lips on his turn more solid. It's a little weird, but he gets it. He wants to feel this as keenly as he can, too.

It's not the best kiss of his life, to be completely honest. But somehow, it's still his uncontested personal favourite. God, what in the hell had taken him so long?

Kravitz chases his mouth a few inches as he pulls away, but then seems to catch himself a little and lets him go, features swimming back into full colour as he slowly opens his eyes and lifts a hand to his mouth, staring at him in a wordless, stupefied daze. Taako snickers softly. "Not bad for an old man."

Blinking his eyes back into focus, Kravitz watches him quietly for a moment, gaze combing carefully over his face. "Was that... a positive review, then?" he asks softly. Taako laughs a little too loud, giddy and relieved and buzzing with excitement.

"Oh, hell yeah. You're pretty hot on that, ghost boy." He wets his lips and rubs at his mouth. "Cold. Look, I mean - good. You're good."

Cautiously, slowly, as if he's waiting for Taako to tell him to stop, Kravitz reaches out a hand to gently brush a dislodged braid back away from his face and behind his ear. And when Taako doesn't object, when he leans into the touch and lifts a hand of his own to cup Kravitz's against his cheek instead, the corners of his mouth twitch up into a nervous smile. "Well, uh - I-I gotta say it helps not havin' to breathe."

Taako gasps in mock-surprise and maybe a little real excitement, because that’s a new and fun little element he hadn’t even _thought_ about. "Oh, dip. You gotta help me go for a record here, then."

"Gladly," Kravitz murmurs, quickly leaning back in and sounding breathless despite his claim of just a few seconds before. "Fuck, I've been wantin' to do this for weeks."

"Can't fault you for that," Taako says in a rush as he moves to meet him, and damn if the quiet giggle that escapes Kravitz's mouth before it finds his again doesn't run him right through the chest.

His hand slides around the nape of Taako's neck and cradles the back of his head as he presses forward, corporeality wavering back and forth between every place they touch like he can't decide which part of this he wants to feel more. It's deeper this time, and still kind of weird, especially when Taako slips his tongue into Kravitz's mouth and the static fizzles all around it - it feels like he's licking a battery and tastes like burnt metal and ozone. But that doesn't stop him going in for one more after they break away, chasing that sparking, intoxicating feeling that has his heart racing. Kravitz kisses with the same low-burning intensity that has become so familiar since they met, earnest and passionate and just the tiniest bit desperate, like he's afraid Taako might change his mind or disappear between one breath and the next. He kisses like he might never see another one and is determined to make this one count.

But, Taako thinks, he can spare him one more.

Except one turns into two and then three and more still, fading into something slow and unhurried. They stay together on the ledge for a long time. Long enough that outside, the frozen raindrops on the window have time to thaw, and continue their journey.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We did it!! The burn is over!! And it only took 110k!!
> 
> Needless to say there's still a fair bit more to come for this fic yet (think we're possibly at 2/3 now?), but thank you so much to everyone who's read this far and to everyone who's been leaving comments and kudos especially! The response to this fic has been phenomenal and really does make writing it so much more fun. Now for the next arc! :D


	21. An Honest Discussion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Going through a negotiation of terms - and more pleasantly than expected.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, first of all, thank you all _so much_ for the response to the last chapter!! I'm sorry if I didn't manage to reply to your comment in particular if you left one, but there were just so many of them I couldn't respond to them all this time around, which is fucking incredible - I was absolutely floored by the sheer amount of people sharing their thoughts. Thank you all again for reading and I hope you all enjoy the rest of this fic as much as what you've seen so far  <3
> 
> Happy reading!

 

"...Taako?"

"Mmn?"

"You should probably go to sleep in, uh - in an actual bed."

Taako blinks himself awake, unsure of when exactly he'd started to drift off. Immediately, he suppresses a shiver; he's chilled absolutely to the bone - and that's not surprising, really, seeing as he'd ended up settled in Kravitz's lap after his lips had gone numb from cold and he started yawning too much to do anything productive, leaning back against his chest, which is a very chilly but surprisingly comforting place to be. Kravitz had insisted on floating a blanket in and wrapping him in it so he didn't freeze, but one extra layer of fabric doesn't exactly do a whole lot against the cold when he's almost completely enveloped by it.

He's kind of enjoying the static, though. It leaves a pleasant tingle wherever he touches, a slight current sparking underneath his skin. It's weird, of course, but like pretty much everything else about this situation, it's a nice kind of weird. It's a weird that makes his chest feel light with excitement and pleasantly surprised happiness, and he doesn't feel like he wants it to stop any time soon.

"Nah, I'm kinda enjoying this," he hums, snuggling back further into Kravitz's shoulder. "I've slept worse places."

Kravitz doesn't reply. He keeps starting on some restless motion and then stopping quickly - shaking his leg, tapping his fingers, playing with his hair. Taako turns to look at him curiously, and he's chewing his lip, looking worried.

"You're lookin' kinda nervous there, handsome," Taako says, a small frown beginning to form despite his good mood. "Something up?"

"I, uh," Kravitz starts, and then falls silent again, very deliberately not looking at him. Taako nudges his arm (as best he can with it flickering in and out as it is) to try to draw his eyes up.

"C'mon, spill," he presses. "No more secrets, huh? I'll be honest about everything if you are."

Kravitz manages to hold his gaze for all of about two seconds before he breaks, and breaks _hard_.

"I'm - it's just - a-are you sure? About, about this?" he blurts. "If there's even - if this is even something, um, more than just - I just, I understand if, if that was just, just a one-time deal, or - I just wanna know where we stand, because - I mean, w-who dates a dead guy, right?" He laughs nervously, and maybe a touch hysterically, and then his hands go to worry at his hair as his expression shifts more and more towards numb terror. "Oh, hell, I shouldn't've - this isn't--"

Taako turns in his lap to face him and gently slaps his cheek to snap him out of it, because boy was  _that_  a panic spiral if he's ever seen one. 

"Hey, woah, slow your roll there, bubeleh. First of all, definitely up for doing that again - like I said, you're not too bad at this for an old man," he smirks, pressing a short kiss to Kravitz’s lips and brushing a hand over his jaw. Kravitz breathes a small sigh and seems to relax just a fraction - but only a fraction, so Taako plies him with a few more, gentle and careful, taking pleasure in the small flicker-shivers elicited by each one. It's kinda cute, and fair for the guy to be a little sensitive, really. Taako had thought  _he_  was having a dry spell, he can't imagine the level of pent-up a whole century would result in.

He pulls back once it feels like Kravitz has calmed down enough, and wets his lips against the residual chill on them. "And - if you're askin' if we're goin' for like, a _relationship_ here, then..."

Then what? He honestly hadn't really thought this far ahead. The situation - and Kravitz, too - had taken him by surprise before he'd really sat down and worked out any kind of plan. But, he'd made his decision yesterday that he would be willing to fight for this, that whatever problems might arise along the way were something he'd be willing to deal with. That in the end, whatever they were building here would be worth it.

Kravitz is watching him with anxious eyes, clearly hanging on a continuation. And Taako smiles.

"Yeah, I'm up for it. I'm pretty sure we were halfway there already, huh?" he says, leaning forward in mounting excitement. God, he's actually excited _._ Despite being kind of terrified and full to the brim with nervous, bubbling energy, he's _excited_. "I mean, you're pretty much - okay, no offense here, but - you're pretty much my second best friend at this - after Lup I mean, and, maybe tied with Barry just 'cause—"

"No, that's - that's okay," Kravitz assures, gently cutting him off. "I understand."

"Yeah, so - my second best friend, at this point, and you're, uh, super handsome and nice and cool, and I like hanging with you." Taako gives a small shrug as he sits back, still vibrating with nerves but trying not to get too wound up for the sake of being able to carry out an adult conversation. "Like - shit, even my sister likes you. That seems like - you're really kinda tickin' all the boxes here, for me."

That doesn't seem to put Kravitz's worries to rest, however. He leans forward and takes both of his hands, insistent.

"But - are you _sure_? You know, there's a lot I can't give you, an', and I don't want to hold you back."

"You couldn't hold me back if you tried, babes," Taako snorts, but it doesn't seem to have the reassuring effect he'd intended. If anything, it only seems to push Kravitz towards frustration.

"Taako, you know what I mean. I can't ever leave this house. I can't go anywhere with you, or follow you if you need to move somewhere else. I want you to be able to live your life while you have it, not be stuck here with me." He goes quiet, and lowers his gaze towards their joined hands, shoulders slumping. "I shouldn't've - it's not a position I want to put you in."

Taako swallows, feeling all that bubbling excitement from before quickly sour into anxiety. "Sounds like maybe _you_ want out, Casper."

"No!" Kravitz says quickly, grip tightening around Taako's fingers before he catches himself and eases off, breathing out a careful sigh. "No, I - I absolutely don't, not at all. I just... want to know if you're sure." He pulls his hands back into his lap and fidgets with them anxiously, eyes lowered. "You have so many reasons not to be. I don't want you to feel forced into anything, for any reason.

"I - I won't be upset, if you change your mind. I'd just ask that you - that you please don't leave because of it, if you'd rather not get involved. I'd rather have you here as a friend than not at all," he continues quietly, still not meeting Taako's eyes. "I've come to care for you, um... well, um, quite a lot. And I understand if you don't feel the same, but I - I don't quite know what I'd do if you weren't here."

It takes a moment for Taako to finish processing all that. A moment for the anxiety to settle and for him to take a breath. Part of him does still want to run away from this, it's true. Part of him is convinced that this can only end badly. But the remainder - the logical parts of his brain, the parts that aren't bogged down by a few decades' worth of commitment issues and the tiny, tiny amount of thought space he reserves for occasional optimism - _really_ wants to give this the shot it deserves.

He reaches out and lifts Kravitz’s face towards him with a finger under his chin, and smiles as reassuringly as he can. "Nah, bubeleh, I'm sure. About, uh - this," he says, and the look he gets in return would be enough to power a city it's so bright. He does raise that finger again, however, and wave it between them as he asks, "But, like, this isn't some weird fixation or whatever 'cause I'm literally the only person you see on a regular basis? 'Cause I don't want this to be weird from my end either, y'know?"

Kravitz quickly glances away and laughs a little. "N-- Uh, no, I'm fairly certain that's not it. A hundred years of living here and you're the first person I couldn't take my eyes off of," he says softly, looking back up at him through his lashes.

Taako finds himself grinning from ear to ear. "Gross. I like it." He grins wider, and leans in close enough to feel the static chill that emanates from Kravitz’s skin. "You up for another round?"

Biting his lip, Kravitz smiles and pulls him back in for another deep kiss before pushing him back by his shoulders and gently brushing his mussed-up hair away from his face. "Maybe not so much. I wasn't joking, before, you should go to bed."

"Bore," Taako snorts, but turns and slides off the seat to head towards the door, jerking his head for Kravitz to follow. "C'mon then."

Kravitz gives him an exasperated but fond smile, not moving. "Taako, you know I don't sleep."

"Sleep wasn't what I was thinkin' of," Taako says with a wink, only half serious. Or, maybe sixty percent serious. Sixty-five. Old habits die hard, after all.

But, Kravitz looks down at his hands, turning ever so slightly transparent. "O-oh, um, well, that actually might, not be, uh, something that—"

The hesitance comes as something of a surprise after how heated he’d been not too long before, even if they hadn't gone any further than a fairly tame make-out session; straddling Taako's legs and crowding him back against the wall. Guy'd even left him with what would soon become a few carefully-placed hickeys along his collarbone and the crook of his neck. But then, Taako supposes people used to approach these things differently. Maybe he's one of those 'wait until marriage' types. That'd be a shame, but not a dealbreaker.

"Hey, you don't have to if you don't wanna," Taako says gently. Kravitz relaxes slightly, and gives a barely-perceptible nod.

"It's, um - maybe another time," he says, glancing away and rubbing at the back of his neck before standing and leaning forward to kiss Taako’s cheek. "I'll see you in the morning, alright?"

Taako nods in response, watching him quietly for a moment. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't disappointed, but hey - Taako doesn't accept anything less than an emphatic yes for these things. It'd be an insult to his pride. And - it hadn't been a flat-out _no_ , so maybe one day, if he's lucky. Either way it's not something he's gonna be an asshole about.

"Alright," he says, unsure whether now’s the time to just leave or if there’s something more that he should say here. "Uh, g'night then, I guess."

Kravitz seems to feel the same, if the way that he wavers uncertainly on the point of moving closer is any indication. "I can - I can walk you to your room?"

"What, you think somethin's gonna happen to me between here and twelve feet down the hall?" Taako teases. Kravitz gives the tiniest of shrugs and laughs softly, awkward.

"No, I just... I want to."

“That's sweet,” Taako says, and although he means it genuinely it still comes out more teasing than he’d intended. “You some kind of romantic, ghost boy?”

Smiling out the window, Kravitz fades out a little, which Taako is starting to realise is his equivalent of a blush. Holy fuck, this whole time. The guy's been blushing like a goddamn bride the  _whole fucking time_. "I-I, um. Have been told."

Taako laughs and shakes his head, and grabs Kravitz's hand to start leading him out of the room. "It's cute. Too bad you can't buy me flowers."

"I could grow you some, if you got some planters for the porch. As soon as the ground stops being frozen I can put roses in," Kravitz says as he lets himself be pulled along, holding tight to his hand and somehow managing to make that sound completely earnest.

"Fuck, you really are somethin', aren't ya?" Taako giggles, a blush of his own heating his cheeks. This is fucking ridiculous, he thinks, right before realising Kravitz's hand has slipped out of his and he's stopped a few steps behind, bouncing in and out of view.

"Sorry. I know I can be, uh - intense," he says awkwardly, studying the toe of one of his shoes. "I-I can rein it in."

With a bit of careful timing, Taako manages to take his hand again, and smiles as Kravitz looks nervously back up at him. "Don't. I like it."

“It's - not too much?” Kravitz asks, his free hand coming up to scratch at his cheek. “It’s only - I really don’t know what the done thing is now, or - how people usually approach, um... well, anything, but - courtship seems like it might've changed especially. I don't want to end up committing some awful faux-pas.”

"Well first of all, nobody calls it _courtship,_ " Taako snickers, and Kravitz ducks his head slightly although it looks like he might also be simultaneously rolling his eyes.

"Right, you said - you said _dating_ , didn't you."

"Correct, and - uh... that would typically make you my boyfriend," Taako says carefully, chewing his lip as he watches for a reaction to that particular label. "If... that's okay? I can, uh, call you something more your speed if that's a new one on you."

“No, that's - that's absolutely fine,” Kravitz says, that earnest, lopsided smile that Taako loves so much flashing up for just a moment. “Does, uh - does that go both ways?”

"Oh, for sure," Taako grins. "Boyfriend and boyfriend, natch."

Kravitz beams, bright and elated as Taako feels himself - but then his smile dims slightly, and he takes both of Taako's hands and runs his thumbs gently over the backs of them as he tracks the movement with his eyes. "That’s - that’s wonderful, Taako, and I'm very happy with that, but - also, I did want to say, while we're here, that, um— Well, I don't know if - if this might be presumptuous of me, thinkin' I have any right to comment, so please tell me if that's the case, but, if you wanted to, to still pursue people other than me - y'know, um, living people - I want you to know that I wouldn't be opposed to it. I understand that - that I can't be there for you in the way that another person could and that my, uh - my _situation_ makes a lot of things complicated, so - if you decide that you need someone else, I'll respect that. If that's what you want to do."

Taako just stares at him for a minute, unused to people being so sensitive of his needs. To putting him quite so thoroughly first. At least, out of anyone he's been romantically involved with. Lup had always said he had shitty taste, but Taako had never quite understood what she meant until now. Maybe he should've tried being friends with a guy before dating him a whole lot sooner.

Realising he’s gaping a little, he closes his mouth and clears his throat before managing, "I, uh, it's - I actually think I'll be good, honestly, but, uh - obviously I don't know, right this minute, but if - if I feel the need to get, uh - get involved, with - with anyone else, I'll let you know."

Kravitz smiles and squeezes his hands in acknowledgement. "As long as you're happy. I don't care if that's with me or anyone else." He laughs a little and drops his gaze to the floor between them, fading out slightly. "Well - obviously I would prefer if it was with me, but I'm not going to try to - to tie you down or anything. You've got a life to live."

Taako can feel the beginnings of another frown coming on. There’s being considerate to others, and then there's thinking of yourself as a burden, and this is has enough resemblance to the latter that he’s kind of starting to get concerned. He doesn't want to be put first at any cost to his (holy shit) boyfriend. He doesn’t want to see him putting on a brave face or putting his own needs aside for his sake. To his ever-increasing wonder, he wants to put _Kravitz_ first. He wants to make _him_ happy before worrying about himself.

"You're... real hung up on the whole holding me back thing, huh?" he asks gently, and Kravitz shrugs, seeming self-conscious now that the topic has been brought up in earnest.

“Well, I - I suppose you could say that,” he says, pulling one hand away to toy uncomfortably with his hair. “It's only - just, this is gonna sound strange - but I'm just standing water. I'm stagnant. You're like - you're like a river, and I don't want to be the thing that stops you from flowing and getting where you're supposed to go. You’ve got your whole life ahead of you, Taako, I don’t want you making any sacrifices on my account.”

Taako lets out a sigh, one that ends up sounding more fond than exasperated. "Weird metaphor, but okay. I'm pretty sure you're not gonna stop me flowing, my guy."

“Just don't hold yourself still for my sake, is all I'm asking,” Kravitz says, hope and uncertainty fighting for a place in his eyes. Taako gently retakes the hand that Kravitz had pulled away, and, smiling, twists the other so that he can lace their fingers together.

"I promise, Krav. It's fine."

Kravitz looks fucking overjoyed. God, he's cute. He's so sweet and so nice and who gives a fuck if he's dead when Taako's got a guy like that looking at him like this. Not him, that's for sure.

"I wanna - really wanna kiss you again," he blurts, in possibly the most awkward sentence he's ever managed his entire life. He's not sure he likes what this whole  _genuine feelings_  shtick is doing to him - but then those cold lips are back on his and turning him weak at the knees.  _So_  worth it.

"Glad to know we're on the same page," Kravitz smiles as he pulls back. It reminds Taako of something that had struck him earlier, but that he’d been too preoccupied to bring up when he’d sooner be enjoying making out with his hot undead love interest.

"Hey, you - did you mean what you - what you said before?" he asks, letting go with one hand so he can start leading Kravitz down the hall towards his room again with the other. Kravitz blinks at him in confusion as he follows, head cocked.

"What I said?"

"You - you said you'd been wanting to kiss me for weeks," Taako explains, unsuccessfully trying to fight away all the blood rushing to his face through sheer will. "Was that for real?"

"O-oh," Kravitz replies, tripping over his words in time with his feet and almost slipping out of Taako's grip again. "Um, well, to be entirely honest, yes, but - I-I'm sure I'm not the first to feel that way, you must be used to it."

Taako gives a small laugh, keeping to himself for now the fact that it's never really meant so much to him before. "Uh, for - for sure, but it's, uh, always nice to hear again, bubeleh."

They come to a stop outside Taako's room, and Taako turns to face him, lingering outside the door. "And, uh - same goes for me I think, honestly. Even though - I kinda had some stuff to work through first, but - same, uh, same hat. Ain't that fun?"

"...Yeah," Kravitz murmurs. There’s quiet for a second as he flicks his eyes down to Taako’s mouth and back up again, and then asks, "Um, can I—?"

"Way ahead of you, Casper," Taako smiles, cutting him off, and pulls him in with barely any effort on his part at all. In fact he might even have slowed Kravitz down.

They break apart after much too short a time for Taako's taste, but at least that means he gets his favourite view back. Kravitz looks dazed again, and absolutely enraptured, and Taako laughs as he waves a hand in front of his face to snap him out of it.

"What?"

Kravitz continues to watch his face, voice soft as if to avoid breaking the quiet as much as he can. "Well, I - I jus' don't think I can recall ever bein' kissed like that. It's, uh - rather dizzying, honestly."

Taako raises an eyebrow at him. "Do you remember anyone kissing you at all?"

"...No," Kravitz admits, then makes a face, and Taako finds himself wanting to press his lips to the furrows in his skin where his nose wrinkles up. "Well - maybe, but - that's not the point."

"Well, I'll tell you a secret," Taako murmurs, draping his arms over Kravitz's shoulders with a soft smirk as he leans up to bring their faces closer. "I don't think _I_ can recall ever liking kissing somebody this much."

He only means to go for a quick peck on the lips, really, but obviously neither of them have proven to be very good at holding themselves back so far. So he presses forward, and Kravitz presses back in response, leaning in further and further until Taako's back thunks against the door behind him and he pulls back with a good-natured laugh, seeming embarrassed. Taako doesn't mind. It's nice to get some confirmation that this is, apparently, about as mutual as it gets. It makes his chest burn warm, and he takes a moment to just breathe and stare and marvel at that as Kravitz steps back slightly and smooths his collar back down.

"Oh, and uh, while we're being honest - that, um, that blanket you keep giving me? The electric one? I can't feel it. I only seem to be able to feel heat from the living," he says sheepishly. Taako stares at him in stunned wonder for a few seconds more, and then barks a laugh. God, of course. What a fucking dork.

"So why the fuck didn't you say so?" he laughs. "I coulda been usin' it, moron."

Kravitz fades out a few degrees more as Taako continues to laugh, shrugging helplessly. "Well, it was - you seemed so excited about it that first time, I didn't wanna risk offendin' you, and then once I'd said I could feel it I couldn't exactly change my tune all of a sudden, so..."

"You're adorable," Taako giggles, brushing a few tears from his eyes. "An idiot, but adorable." He leans up to kiss Kravitz’s cheek, revelling in the fact that he can just _do that_ now. He can do that and so much more besides. "Okay, I'm going to bed for realsies this time. I'll see you in the morning, Casper."

Kravitz nods, but to Taako it seems like he has something more he wants to say. Sure enough, he hesitates for a moment longer, and then places a gentle hand on the back of Taako's neck and pulls him in to press a kiss to his forehead. "Goodnight, love," he whispers, smiling shyly, and turns to walk away down the hall.

For a second, Taako has to remind himself that it's just a colloquialism, not a real declaration or anything. It's just another turn of phrase. But he feels light anyway.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!!
> 
> Also, advance warning that updates over december will likely be slow as I'm transitioning between two jobs and so working A Lot trying to balance them in the meantime, but hopefully I'll be able to put one chapter out at least ToT


	22. Another New Beginning, Pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Trying to find a new path as the dust settles, once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why I even bother trying to write single-part chapters any more, it never works....
> 
> Anyway part 2 up in... some amount of time? Eventually. I'll get there I promise

 

The next day, Taako wakes up not to music echoing up to him from downstairs, but to a soft, cold press of lips against his forehead.

Now, if this were a TV drama, or something, the sleeper's eyes might flutter slowly open, and they might smile, and yawn daintily, and lean up towards their lover to give a kiss in return as they stretched languidly awake.

Not Taako, though. Taako does what any reasonable person who grew up sleeping in questionable places would do, and punches his boyfriend in the face.

It takes a few seconds for his lagged and panicking brain to catch up with the surprised yelp and muffled thud his ears had taken in, and the numb chill seeping into his knuckles and the fact that Kravitz is sprawled out next to the bed because _oh god he really did just punch him didn't he?_

"Oh my fuck - shit - sorry, Krav, you just - you gotta warn a guy before you wake him up with a localised brainfreeze, y'know?" he stutters once he's mostly booted up, quickly leaning over to the edge of the bed to check and see if he hadn't just ruined his brand-new relationship right out of the gate. But Kravitz just laughs, apparently completely unphased at being laid out on the floor over a sweet gesture.

"No, that's - that's alright, don't worry. Should've thought that through a little more, I suppose," he smiles, sitting up and pushing his hair back out of his face. He's so gorgeous. Fuck, Taako is - he's _dating_ this outrageously handsome and stupidly nice motherfucker. What the _fuck_.

Kravitz shuffles a little closer, still kneeling on the floor. It puts him at about Taako's face level anyway, all the better to properly take in his expression of mild concern. "Are... _you_ alright? Was - was it too much?"

"M' _fine_ ," Taako groans, burying his face in the mattress. “Just can’t figure out how you’re _real_.”

"As much a mystery to me as you," Kravitz chuckles, relief fluttering breathy over his words. Carefully, he nudges at Taako's shoulder to get him to lift his head, and watches him for a moment when he reluctantly does, chewing his lip.

"...Could I take another go at it?" he asks, expression anxious but hopeful. "Now that you've been warned."

Taako feels a smile that's shyer than he would've liked slowly curl over his face, and props his chin on the mattress to bring their faces closer. "You've got my permission," he murmurs.

Kravitz breaks into a nervous grin for just a second before schooling his expression into something very slightly calmer and leaning forward. He brushes his lips over Taako's forehead, and then briefly meets his eyes with a question before cautiously moving down to his mouth to administer the softest, most gentle kiss Taako has ever received in his life. Man, _fuck_ this guy, making Taako's heart do ridiculous shit like flutter against his ribs.

But also: fuck, this _guy_. This beautiful, funny, sweet-as-spun-sugar guy who Taako can finally admit he's a little bit crazy about. He's never been this far gone for somebody from day one.

"You're, uh, looking a little red there," Kravitz comments, face still inches from his own. His smile has started to slowly shift from shy and nervous to something more confident, a smug cockiness than Taako is fairly familiar with by now starting to raise its head, and Taako plants his face in the mattress again. Right, almost forgot the part about him being an absolute _dick_ as well.

"And you're lookin' super dead but I don't point it out," he grumbles, mortified that not only is he blushing, he's blushing enough for it to _show_ , too. How bad's he got it if he's blushing so hard his complexion doesn't even hide it?

He feels a cold fingertip brush over his cheekbone and ear as Kravitz gently tucks some of his hair back into place. And that only makes Taako's face even _warmer_. Hey, actually _fuck_ this. _F_ _uck_ this guy. _Fuck_  this _guy._

"Hey, um - I didn't mean to embarrass you," Kravitz says quietly, nervousness quickly chasing away all that prior confidence on the turn of a dime. Taako hates that he thinks that's cute. Except he doesn’t hate it at all. He thinks it’s really fucking cute and maybe it’s a _lot_  that he does but it’s not a _bad_  kind of a lot, it’s just - he might need a little more time to get used to this, maybe. "It's - you're just - seeing you blush is—"

"Not - not embarrassed," Taako interrupts, still mumbling into the sheets. It's a wonder that Kravitz can make out anything he's saying at all. "You're just, like - really,  _really_  hot."

"Ah. Um. Thank you."

Taako lifts his eyes away from the sheets at the awkwardness in Kravitz's tone and the fact that he _also_  sounds muffled, and finds that he’s afflicted his boyfriend with potentially a worse blush than his own. He can barely even see him.

“I, um. Think I would say the same about you,” Kravitz says, phasing back in just enough for Taako to be able to make out the colour of his eyes again. Still gorgeous, just like always. But as much as he’d love to get lost in them, Taako has an opportunity to take advantage of. He smiles as innocently as he can, and rests his chin on his palms.

"So say it then."

"You're - very attractive," Kravitz manages, but that is decidedly _not_ the phrase that Taako wants to hear come out of his mouth.

"I didn't say _attractive_ ," he presses, leaning into Kravitz's space with a smirk. "I said _hot_."

"I'm - I'm not saying that," Kravitz complains, struggling not to smile back even so. "It sounds silly."

" _Saaay iiit,_ " Taako insists. Kravitz pulls a face, but ultimately Taako knows he’s a pushover. And the best part, he thinks, given the guy's track record with every other prospective owner of this house, is that he’s pretty sure Kravitz is only a pushover for him.

"Alright, you're - you're _hot_ ," Kravitz pronounces haughtily - not one to back down from a challenge, either. It sounds exactly as ridiculous as Taako had hoped, and he snorts loudly, which apparently only serves as an encouragement because Kravitz doesn’t leave it at just that. Guy knows how to lean into a goof, even at his own expense. Taako likes that about him. “You're incredibly attractive, and very easy on the eyes, and - and quite the jammiest bit of jam,” he continues, aggressively upper-class and all the funnier because of it. Taako breaks down into a fit of giggles at that last one, doubly worth it for the giddy smile he gets in exchange.

"Now _that_ sounds stupid," he laughs, and Kravitz nods in concession, lifting one shoulder as he tilts his head.

"It does."

There's quiet between them, briefly, and Kravitz's hands skim idly over the hem of his suit jacket in the meantime - mildly nervous, Taako thinks, but not worryingly so.

"I, um - I really like being able to tell you how beautiful you are, though," Kravitz says after a moment's fidgeting. "Which you are. Very."

Taako feels his face heating, and pulls his covers back around his shoulders and all the way up to his eyes. "Fuck, you're so goddamn gay," he whines, enjoying himself immensely even as he complains and hides his face. Kravitz grins broadly at him.

"Yeah."

Taako peeks out very slightly from his makeshift burrow. "You - y’know I mean like - not _happy_ gay, I mean _gay_ like—"

"I know what gay means, sweetheart," Kravitz chuckles, smiling so wide it shows off the faint crow's feet at the corners of his eyes as he folds his arms on the small sliver of mattress between them and rests his chin on top. "I've had access to the internet for at least a month and you made me watch most of Queer Eye with you."

“You loved Queer Eye, though,” Taako points out, voice cracking very slightly in the middle once or twice. Fuck, _sweetheart_? They're doing pet names now? He might not be emotionally ready for that. It might actually kill him. There's so much of _a lot_ going on right now he wouldn't be surprised if he ended up joining Kravitz soon.

"True," Kravitz concedes fondly. "And I especially liked watching it with you."

He pauses again, gaze steady, and then adds in a soft voice, "I think I’d like doing almost anything with you."

They watch each other from barely a few inches away, just taking in each other’s faces which are both flushed in their own ways, until after a few moments Taako says, "Krav?"

"Mm?"

"That’s _real_  goddamn gay."

Kravitz laughs, bites his lip and leans in towards him, Taako’s favourite mischievous spark flickering in his eyes. "I can do worse," he says, tauntingly close. "Unless you can find a way to silence me."

Well. It's bait, definitely. It’s not even creative bait. But luckily for Kravitz, Taako rather likes this fisherman, and he kinda feels like biting today.

He grabs him by the tie and pulls him back in, and ends up getting out of bed probably a little later than he should.

 

-*-

 

"So, you have a fun night?" Taako asks, once he's cooled off a few dozen degrees and is dressed and settled in the kitchen with breakfast and a coffee.

"As much fun as it can be when you're asleep," Kravitz replies easily, taking Taako’s pan from the stove and dropping it into the sink, where it kicks up a small splash of foamy water. Taako gags dramatically and hides his stupid grin behind his mug.

"God, you're gross."

Kravitz ducks his head slightly, an embarrassed smile flitting over his face. "Sorry."

"Hey, I, don't - I don't, uh, mean that I don't like it," Taako amends quickly, returning his mug to the counter. Gotta remember to be a little more sensitive in his responses, at least for the moment. This - this  _thing_  they’re starting here is still raw and fresh and easily-bruised, and they’re both nervous. Both still poking at boundaries to see what’s safe ground and what isn’t. So while soft words might not be his forte, the least he can do is to not let his replies make solid earth sound like quicksand, because despite the fact that he’d never be willing to say it out loud, he’s absolutely revelling in the gross and shmoopy shit Kravitz keeps coming out with, and he doesn’t want to discourage him from saying it by acting like he hates it too much. In fact, he definitely wants him to keep going, even if it is a lot for the small part of his brain which is capable of sincerity to process.

“Keep being gross. Please. I'm officially asking you to be gross and sappy and cheesy whenever you want,” he says, then pauses for a second and adds, more casually, “For your sake, obviously.”

Kravitz glances at him sidelong, eyebrows slightly raised and a small smirk on his mouth. "For my sake."

"Uh-huh. Got a feeling you'll explode if you bottle all that sap up. Gotta give, uh - give you an overflow," Taako explains, and then, feeling like he pulled off that course-correction pretty well, he goes back to his food. "But - really, you weren't bored or anything? I kinda feel - feel a little bad leavin’ you all on your own all night."

"Oh, please - please don’t, it’s rather unavoidable," Kravitz says, turning his head and a pair of concerned eyes his way. "I can’t sleep, and you can’t very well stay awake all night, there’s really nothin’ to be done about it."

“Guess not,” Taako mumbles, picking at his eggs. He still feels kinda bad (which remains a pretty weird feeling for him, honestly) but Kravitz is right, there’s not really anything either of them can do. Doesn’t mean it doesn’t kinda suck. A guy could be forgiven for wanting to get his snuggle on.

“Anyway, I just, uh, found something to watch for a while,” Kravitz says absently, turning back to the sink. Just casual conversation while Taako is eating and he’s occupied with the dishes; Taako’s given up on trying to get him to leave them alone by now.

There’s something kind of domestic about that image that Taako really likes, though. He finds it scary, too - or, absolutely fucking terrifying, really - but, it _is_ also kinda nice. Maybe once a little more time goes by that weird excitement-anxiety cocktail might head on its way and only leave the good feelings behind, or maybe he just needs therapy. Either way, Kravitz is more occupied with the dishes and talking about his night than with Taako’s internal crises, and that’s probably for the best.

"I thought - maybe if I watched something that - that was related to dating nowadays, I would have a better idea of what people do now, but it was more confusing than enlightening, to be honest," he's explaining, oblivious to Taako's introspections. Taako covers his mouth with a hand to stop himself smiling. Oh, that's adorable. Guy's actually doing _research_.

"What, uh - what did you watch?" he asks innocently. Kravitz gives a small shrug, seeming mostly uninvested.

"I think it was called, uh - something about a bachelor?"

" _The_ Bachelor?" Taako suggests, only smiling a little, and Kravitz nods vaguely as he pulls the plug from the sink and starts running a cloth over the few dishes in the rack.

"Sounds about right. Seemed rather disingenuous, honestly, I didn’t get very far."

”Yeah, I think you could find something way better to learn datings techniques from,” Taako snickers. “So, other than shitty reality TV?”

Kravitz shrugs again, and sets the last of the newly-dried dishes back in the cupboard. “Wandered around for a while. Used your computer for an hour or two. Checked on you a couple of times. That’s - all I normally do, really. I don’t like doing anything too loud while you’re sleeping.”

Taako nods his way through that explanation while he polishes off his food, and then his brain catches up with his ears and he jerks his head up, pretty reasonably unsettled. “Hey, woah, hol— Hold up just one minute there - you were _watching me while I slept?_ "

Kravitz stutters out almost entirely for a few seconds - thank fuck all the dishes are already safe in their places - and then sputters for a few seconds more once he finally pulls himself together again. "N-no! Not - I only - I-I just checked in on you once or twice," he manages eventually, looking mortified. Taako's honestly not too thrilled about this development himself.

“And how long’ve you been doing that for?”

Flickering, Kravitz averts his eyes to his shoes instead. "Um. Not that long?" he tries, and it sounds about as convincing as a pillow shoved into a bed to try to imitate a snuck-out kid looks. Taako pinches the bridge of his nose.

"Jesus fuck, Krav," he sighs. Kravitz starts flickering even more severely. Still won't look at him, either.

"I-I know it's not - it was only - look, eight hours or more is a long time to have nothin' to do, alright?" he says defensively, folding his arms across himself and turning away slightly. Taako doesn't reply, only stares him down and waits for him to break - which predictably doesn't take very long. After barely a handful of seconds, Kravitz unfolds his arms to fix his hair and cautiously meets his eyes again with a sigh. "I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable," he murmurs. "I swear, I wasn’t - I wasn’t doing anything untoward, just checking you were alright. Es— Especially after the other night, I thought that it might be good to keep an eye on you."

"So you just, what - poked your head in and left?" Taako asks flatly.

"Um," Kravitz replies, "Mostly." Taako raises an eyebrow at him, and he squirms a little, still flickering. "I mean, other than - when you had those, um, those rough nights, and then I sat in, but you knew about those ones," he explains.

Taako exhales carefully, forces himself to count to ten. He's not actually like, _mad_ , he's just a little weirded out. If he was mad, then this would be a fight, and - fuck, _is_ this a fight? Shit, are they fighting on day one?

No. No, it's - it's just a minor argument. A spat. That's fine. He's _had_ fights with Kravitz, dozens of them, and this isn't the same thing. Nothing to panic over, nothing that has to be more than it is as long as he handles it like an adult. Right. Taako's good, they're not fighting, he's got nothing to worry about. And, even if they _were_ fighting, he shouldn't let himself knee-jerk and freak out over it. That was why it had taken so long for them to get here in the first place.

So. Adult talking. Cool. Easy. Just gotta open your goddamn mouth Taako, c'mon.

Before he's able to manage doing that, though, Kravitz has taken a deep breath and launched off again, speaking so quickly some of his words start to merge into each other. "Although, I - I-I should be honest and tell you that - that in those cases I might not've been entirely focused on just my reading, but I would never've dreamed of - of doin' anything outside of what would be considered merely friendly, o-or of abusing that position in any way, I only - perhaps I watched you a little more closely than was necessary, but only with the best intentions and--"

"You - Krav - Kravitz, babe, stop talking," Taako says as he regains his words, talking over the top of Kravitz until he finally gets the hint and calms the fuck down. Maybe they could both do with stopping and counting to ten before speaking sometimes. Maybe that's something he could bring up at a time that isn't now. "It's fine. You can tone it down about eighteen notches there, bubeleh."

Kravitz presses his hands over his face as if he's trying to hide from him. It doesn't really make a whole lot of difference seeing as he's already pretty much invisible, but maybe it makes him feel better. "I'm so sorry."

"God, you don't have to—" Taako cuts himself off, sighs and shakes his head in mild exasperation. "I know you're not a creep, Casper, just chill out a little, would ya?"

Pushing his plate and mug away from him, he gets up from his seat so that he can walk over and try to pry Kravitz's hands away from his face. As it turns out, he can't actually grab them to do that, but generally wafting his hands through Kravitz's fingers seems to give him a sufficient cue, and his hands quickly regain just enough substance for Taako to be able to take them in his own and hold them between them. "Just - look, I'm gonna do you a favour and decide to find all this cute instead of creepy as all hell, and we're gonna move on, 'kay?"

"Okay," Kravitz says quietly, still looking pretty guilty despite Taako's reassurances. “Would you prefer I stayed out in future?”

Taako takes a few seconds to consider that, and then shakes his head. “No. You’re, uh - you're fine to come in if you want, I’d just - I’d like to know about it if you’re doing shit like that?”

Kravitz nods quickly, seeming a lot more settled than before if his reappearing body is anything to go by. To be honest, and as much as it probably sucks for Kravitz, Taako finds it kind of handy that his boyfriend is basically a human mood ring, only way more easy to read. Leaves a lot less room for guesswork or for his brain to fill in for him with things that aren't true. Not that he hadn't managed that anyway.

"That's completely understandable. I'm sorry for not telling you, or - or for doing it without asking, or - well, doing it at all," Kravitz says, cringing slightly and looking away as he adds that last part. "I-It was only because - I had to stop myself from doing so many other things, I thought maybe a small concession might make it easier until - until my feelings faded, I suppose. But I shouldn't've, it was - it's no excuse." He gives a short, wry laugh and looks back at Taako with a wobbly smile that betrays exactly how worried he still is. "Didn't even work, clearly."

Huh. _Other things_? Now there's something more fun and interesting. And kind of buoying for Taako's self esteem - he hadn't realised he was _that_ irresistible.

As long as it's not creepy weird stuff. Please don't be creepy weird stuff.

"Things like what?" he asks, morbid curiosity getting the better of him in the end.

"Um." Kravitz swallows, coughs uncomfortably and turns his face away again, grimacing as if he's having to wade through something unpleasant to get to his answer. "Well, um - staring, mainly. Saying things that - that might've expressed an interest and made you uncomfortable. Just, flirting in general I suppose." He takes a sudden dip in transparency, and pulls a hand away to press his palm into his cheek as his fingers push his hair back from his face. "I-I always wanted to kiss you goodbye when you went out, and - I did once come very close."

Taako blinks at him. Fuck, he really _had_  been seven circles deep in denial not to notice the guy had it _this_ bad. "Really?"

"Uh - yes?" Kravitz hazards, sounding like he really, _really_ hopes that's the right answer. He grimaces deeper, and Taako feels him start to lean away and his grip loosening on his hands. "Shit, this all sounds - sounds so _creepy_ when I say it out loud, I'm sorry."

"Don't - don't be sorry," Taako says quickly, pulling him back. "Maybe if - if I wasn't into you too it might be creepy, but - I don't think I mind. I think that I think it's cute."

Kravitz goes with him with very limited resistance, but perhaps a little wariness. His eyes are searching; a very familiar look that Taako can't believe used to ever annoy him. Well - no, he can believe it, he remembers how much it pissed him off to feel like he was being picked apart like that, but the memory feels so abstract now. They're so far from where they were last month, last week - hell, even yesterday - that they could be different people entirely. The amazing thing about all this is that they aren't.

"It... really doesn't bother you?" Kravitz asks quietly. "I know I'm a lot to handle when I get set on something, Taako, I'm - believe me, I'm aware of that, I just - I don't want to scare you off by being too much."

Firmly this time, Taako shakes his head. "No. No, I - I like it, really." He smiles broadly, pulling his hands away to trace his fingers lightly down the edges of the pseudo-fabric lapels of Kravitz's suit. Knowing he's about to make the guy's day has started him feeling all warm and glowy inside in a way he's trying very hard to be appreciative of rather than scared of. "And y'know, we can - we can do that last one today. If you want. And in future you can - if you wanna do something you can go ahead and - and just do it. Don't have to ask.”

Immediately, Kravitz is looking at him the way a kid with a pocketful of cash looks at a candy store - eyes bright and sparkling with excitement. “Are you sure?”

"As long as I’m awake," Taako confirms with a snicker, and - god, there they are again with a vengeance. Warm fuzzies. Hoo boy. "You can just go ahead, and, uh, I'll tell you if something's not cool, alright?"

"Alright," Kravitz breathes, as if Taako's just handed him the world, and then wets his lips (probably redundantly, Taako thinks) and asks, "Can-- I think I'd like the same policy, if that's alright. So I can just - I'll just tell you if and when I've had enough, and other than that it's - it's all fair game?"

Taako can't help but smile. He thinks this is probably the healthiest boundary-setting conversation he's had in - well, maybe ever. Which is an unexpected surprise, but not an unwelcome one. "Sure, handsome. I'll take a blank cheque on all this anytime, but if you don't, uh - don't want me to cash anything in particular, that's cool."

"Okay. That's - that's just fine by me too, then," Kravitz grins, and as if to prove the point, immediately swoops in and pecks him on the mouth. Just a short thing, and light, but something with a promise behind it. A promise that Taako really likes.

"Are you finished, by the way?" Kravitz asks as he moves back, nodding over Taako's shoulder to the abandoned plate and cup behind him. "I can take care of that if you want to get going."

Taako glances back, following his gesture, and then swiftly turns and scoops the dishes off the counter with a shake of his head. "Oh - no, I got it, I've still got like, uh, ten minutes until my ride gets here."

"You're not going to work?" Kravitz asks as he settles against the counter next to the sink, mildly surprised. 

"Nah, it's - a couple friends of mine are getting married soon, I told 'em I'd help pick out at least one dress that wasn't completely hideous and try to get it for them for a decent price," Taako explains around rinsing his plate and mug and setting them aside. 

"Oh. Do you know the dressmakers?"

"Nope, just know how to haggle. Ch'boy's never paid full price for anything in his life."

"Is that so?" Kravitz asks, head tilted curiously and a smile on his face. Taako gives a confident nod, enjoying the attention.

"I'm thrifty."

Kravitz gives one of his softer, more unobtrusive laughs and shakes his head. "Alright. Well, if they need any alterations made, please tell them I'd be more than willing to see what I could do. Would be happy to help."

"For free?" Taako queries, and he shrugs.

"Depends."

"On what?"

"How much you like them. And how nice you are to me," Kravitz says, elbowing him gently. Taako makes to thwap him lightly in the arm, but ends up only catching air and being laughed at.

Not long after that Taako receives a message informing him that the rest of the group are running late but are on their way, but it really ends up not making too much difference to him. Ten minutes and then twenty slide by easily as he and Kravitz just linger in the kitchen talking, until a car horn sounds joltingly loud from out towards the road and Taako's phone buzzes impatiently in his back pocket. At that, he finally moves out of the room and into the hall, shrugging on a coat on the way and winding a scarf around his neck which he fussily adjusts several times to make sure it's hiding his neck and won't unspool and give his evening escapades away at an inopportune moment. Kravitz trails behind patiently for the most part, only intervening to adjust Taako's scarf once more after he's given up with it with a small chuckle. 

"Sorry," he tells him, sounding pretty much exactly the opposite, "I'll, uh - try not to make them so obvious next time."

"I feel like you're maybe lying to me a little, bubeleh," Taako replies dryly, and the the guiltless smile he gets in return confirms his suspicions. "Dick," he snorts, and turns away to pick up his bag from the floor by the entrance. "Could you not've thought ahead a little, saved me the trouble?"

"You have a collar on your work clothes," Kravitz points out, and then gets one of those smug little smiles on his face that Taako wants to slap or kiss off of him. "And you sounded like you were enjoying yourself."

Taako goes quiet for a moment. Then he closes his eyes and hooks his bag casually over his shoulder, hooking his thumb lightly under the strap.

"Well, I don't think I've forgotten anything," he says airily as he wanders the few paces back over to his boyfriend. He sets his bag down on the floor by their feet, takes Kravitz's hands by tracing down from his forearms to his wrists to his fingers and murmurs, "So I guess I'll see you later. Unless you can think of anything I might've _missed_."

"Oh-- Yeah," Kravitz says quickly, suddenly wide-eyed. "I'll, um, I'll be waiting. Here. For you. Uh - later. And..."

"You seem a little distracted," Taako snickers, watching Kravitz's eyes flick down to his mouth and feeling his fingers twitch restlessly against his own. He receives an eye roll in response, and a snort of a laugh that's equal parts fond and self-conscious. "Got something else on your mind, handsome?"

"Don't tease," Kravitz scolds, absolutely no feeling in it. Taako rocks forward on his feet, bringing his face in close, and then leans back again, and Kravitz huffs irritably as he moves out of reach.

"Taako."

"What?"

Kravitz holds out for a further few seconds, frowning, and then he whines and heaves a quiet, resigned sigh that Taako knows means victory. "Look, can I kiss you yet or not?"

"I told you you don't have to ask," Taako shrugs innocently. Kravitz makes a small, gruff noise in the back of his throat that could be read as exasperated, but is already leaning into him before Taako can offer any kind of follow-up.

As Taako is coming to grow familiar with by now, it's _really_ nice. So nice that he can't even bring himself to care about the fact that he can't feel his lips or the side of his face afterwards; a little numbness is an acceptably small price to pay for a kiss like that, by his standards. No haggling required.

They part gently, quietly. Kravitz smiles and brushes some hair away from Taako's cheek, reverent in his touch in a way that doesn't suggest worship so much as quiet, grateful appreciation for what he has in front of him. "I suppose I should really thank whoever did me in, I'd never've met you otherwise," he murmurs, eyes soft. Taako can't help but grin back at him like a big stupid idiot.

"You're so fuckin' gross," he teases, giggling.

And then he suddenly takes a step back, grabbing Kravitz by his wrists in alarm as the contents of that sentence really hit him. "W— Wait, ' _did you in_ '? Someone killed you?"

Kravitz's eyes widen, and one hand comes up to hover in front of his mouth as if it had spoken those words without his input. "I - I did say that, didn't I?" he says, suddenly uncertain. His brow furrows, creasing deep in the centre and pulling the planes of his face into taut lines as he starts to gnaw at his thumbnail. "I mean, I - I guess it'd have to - that’d have to be it, right? I don't know if I'd still be here otherwise."

"You think so?"

"I-I don't know. Maybe."

He looks so troubled it pangs like somebody snapping a rubber band around Taako's heart, and he reaches up to retrieve Kravitz's hand from his mouth in an attempt to keep him from stewing. "Hey, don't - don't worry about it, okay? I'll put Ango on the case and we'll have the mystery solved in no time."

"Ah - yeah," Kravitz replies, refocusing on him and relaxing slightly. "Of course. Thank you, you're really very kind."

Taako scoffs that accusation away in a heartbeat. Not a fucking chance. "I'm really not. But, y'know, you're not bad to be around, I can lend you my baby detective for a bit."

"You _are_ kind, Taako, albeit not conventionally so," Kravitz says. He cocks his head and smiles, and for a moment Taako's pretty sure he's lost the ability to breathe. Shit. "You said you wouldn't lie to me, remember?"

Taako gets as far as a strangled "You--" before catching how reedy and broken he sounds and taking a break to force a little more air into his lungs. "You can't keep pulling that on me, y'know, I was - was trying to convince you you were dead at the time, and under some pretty heavy incentives--"

"I can and will pull it whenever I'd like, actually," Kravitz smiles, unrepentant. Then he glances over Taako's shoulder towards where the sound of repeated honking is now blaring from the road, sighs softly, and nudges him towards the door. "You'd better head off, your friends are waiting for you," he says, all of a sudden a little more downcast than before. "I'll see you when you get back."

"Yeah," Taako replies, a little subdued himself. A part of him really wants to just stay here and hang out. But he can't just sit at home all day, and he'll be back soon enough. Even if he does feel kinda shitty leaving Kravitz alone again after only an hour or two of company, if that.

Maybe he can give him something for the road, he thinks, and quickly takes Kravitz by the jaw to give him one more good, long kiss before breaking off and smiling, and backing towards the door with a quiet, "Be seein' ya, babe."

Kravitz only manages a small, broken nod as he watches him go, but Taako isn't particularly offended by it. Mostly because he's pretty sure he's running some kind of flustered reboot cycle and not just ignoring him, which as far as Taako is concerned is just an extra feather in his cap.

Plus, it's really cute when he short-circuits like that. Taako's happy to carry that sweet little snapshot into the day with him.

The insistent honking from the roadside stops as soon as he steps outside, and he sees the car bounce slightly on its wheels as Magnus flops back into the back seat from where he'd been leaning over Killian's shoulder to smash the horn. Killian, for her part, is wearing a look of forced exasperation on her face, and Taako can see Carey laughing in the passenger seat and repeatedly poking her to try to get her to crack.

They're good together, those two. Taako's glad to be helping out. Despite everything, he's got a softer heart than he likes to admit.

He glances back towards the door as he descends the steps to to the path, and smiles a little to himself. Maybe being a little softhearted isn't so bad, he thinks, before heading on his way outright.

He hasn't made it halfway down the path, though, when he hears the door fly open behind him and bang against the side of the house.

"Taako, hold on!" a voice shouts after him as he turns around in surprise. "You forgot your--!"

Kravitz dashes outside on the tail of his shout, waving frantically at him. Fortunately, he catches himself before running out of porch space, and skids to an abrupt halt (a little too abruptly for the amount of inertia he should've had behind him, Taako notes with interest) just before reaching the top of the stairs, Taako's bag swinging from his hand.

"Hey, be careful! We don't want you poofing yourself, huh?" Taako scolds, quickly jogging his way back over. Kravitz laughs nervously and takes another step back from the edge.

"Yeah, I, uh - I forgot for a second there," he smiles, self-effacing, and then proffers the bag towards him. "Have a good day."

"Sap," Taako grins, patting his face and turning to head back down the steps. He's almost back on the path when Kravitz's voice comes from behind him again.

"Oh, Taako, one second?"

Rolling his eyes with far more vigour than strictly necessary, Taako spins back to face him again. " _What n—_ "

He's cut off as Kravitz cups his cheek with one hand and swiftly catches his mouth against his own, pulling back after a second and chuckling gleefully at his flustered goldfishing.

"You gave me permission," he grins, and then nudges him gently towards the road again. "Go on, then. Thought you were rarin' to leave."

"You're the worst boyfriend ever," Taako mutters, but Kravitz only snorts at him, still grinning. God, what an asshole. What a stupid, gorgeous, wonderful piece of shit.

"Bye, love!" he calls as Taako finally turns and marches away down the path, heat flushing bright in his cheeks. Dead guys should  _not_  be allowed to be that smooth.

Carey treats him to a low, wondering whistle as he slides into the back seat next to Magnus, face still burning. "Dude, who is _that_? You never told us you'd moved in with somebody."

"Yeah, uh, he's kind of uh - a new development," Taako mumbles at the seatbelt buckle as he tries and fails repeatedly to snap it into place. At least she didn't mention the ghost thing - which actually is kinda weird, come to think of it. Guess they're too far away from the house to really get a good look at Kravitz and notice the fact that he's only eighty-five percent visible. Thankfully.

Not so fortunately, Magnus knows _exactly_ what the fuck is happening here, and is barely holding back laughter as he wheezes up a storm. "' _I don't have a crush on the ghost_ ,' you said."

Taako punches him in the arm in response - something that probably does him more damage than it does Magnus, but it had to be done. Even if it didn't actually do anything to stop him laughing.

Carey shuffles around in her seat to pin Taako with a curious look, one lithe arm hooked over the headrest. "Ghost?"

"It's - s'just a stupid nickname," Taako says with a dismissive wave. "Mags is just bein' mean 'cause he's super shy. Doesn't leave the house, in fact. He's just, uh - a real homebody, y'know?"

"He doesn't seem shy," Killian says, jerking a thumb towards the porch where Kravitz is standing, waving at them.

"Oh, uh - did I say shy? I meant he has allergies," Taako bluffs quickly, and then turns and rolls down the window so he can shout back to the house. He'd hiss if he could, but Kravitz is a little far away for that. "Go back inside, you fuckin' dork!"

Kravitz just laughs and blows a kiss, and then vanishes. And not like, into the house, he just  _vanishes_. Taako stiffens as he feels Carey and Killian's eyes fix on him like high-security searchlights. Like goddamn _deathrays_. Magnus, meanwhile, is in tears, snorting loudly.

"He meant ghost like  _ghost_ , didn't he?" Carey says, surprisingly calm given the circumstances. Taako sinks lower into his seat and tucks his head down into the safety of his scarf in a pretty solid impression of a threatened turtle.

"Long story not going into it none of your business now can we fucking _go?_ " he huffs, hoping if he's prickly enough about it he'll be left alone. There's some eye rolling from the front of the car and some more sniffles of laughter from Magnus, but Taako does soon get his wish and they pull away to head in the direction of the dress shop that the two brides-to-be had decided on months before.

Taako hadn't been in a relationship at the time. In fact, he'd just narrowly escaped being set up with that fucking creep Magnus had thought would be a good fit for him, and so he was feeling particularly bitter. Or - maybe bitter wasn't the word. Jealous, perhaps, even though he never would've admitted that under any kind of oath. Carey and Killian were in love and stable and they seemed so _happy_ , while over on team Taako he couldn't keep a relationship together to save his life. So yeah, jealous is probably the word. But, the pair of them are two of his cooler friends, and could also each probably kick his ass handily given the opportunity, so he'd agreed to help out with minimal complaining. Provided they commissioned him to cater their reception at a very reasonable friends-and-family rate, which they did.

It feels like he's past that now. It feels like for the first time in a while, he has something in his love life to be hopeful about. And that's... settling.

"So you do like him," Magnus states after what he must've deemed to be a safe amount of time, while the two women they're escorting chat quietly to each other over the centre console in the front of the car. Taako immediately retreats further into the safety of his scarf-shell and pulls his knees up to his chin for an extra line of defense.

"Oh-kay," Magnus says, turning back to face the front seats again. "Guess we'll just have to talk about it later, then. I mean, we do have _all_ _day_ together. I'll be here when you're ready."

He glances sideways, pointedly, and Taako growls and thunks his head back against the headrest in resigned irritation. Like a dog with a bone, this guy - no point in delaying the inevitable with him.

"Oh, whatever! Fine! I like the fuckin' ghost, are you happy now?" he snaps. "Jeez."

"I thought you said he was an asshole."

"I also said I didn't think he was so bad under his bullshit, and I was right, so." He coughs and swipes at his nose, slumping down again in his seat. "And, y'know, he's a nice asshole. All chivalrous and shit."

Magnus' eyes rest on him for a minute, and then he shrugs and looks out the front window again. "Lup approved him?"

"What is this, the dark ages? I don't need my sister's permission to date a guy," Taako huffs. The silence he receives in response denotes that as an insufficient answer, and so he reluctantly tacks on in an indignant mumble, "It was her idea."

"Cool," Magnus replies, nodding to himself. He seems happy to leave it at that, Taako notes with substantial relief, and so he pulls out his phone to try to finish reading the bullshit cooking article he's been trying to get through on and off for the last few days. Clearly written by some group of hipsters with no idea what they're talking about, but sometimes even idiots stumble across something interesting.

However, it's not long before he feels Magnus' stare on him again and turns to frown at him, confused and irritated.

"What?"

Magnus smooths down his beard, faux-contemplative and all careful innocence. "Nothing, nothing - just, uh, when diiid--"

Something clicks. Taako snaps upright in his seat, immediately filled with absolute _outrage_. "Wh-- Did you two _actually bet_ \--"

"I just wanna know if Merle owes me twenty bucks!" Magnus protests.

"I treated you like a  _brother--_ "

"Hey, you - you _charge me_ to come eat at your restaurant, and everyone _else_ \--"

"Because you eat enough for ten people! I can't give away that much free food!"

"You don't even give me a _discount_ \--"

" _Guys_!" Carey yells, twisting around in her seat to glare at them. Taako's half expecting her to tell them she'll turn this car around any minute. "What's the fucking problem?"

"Taako won't tell me when he started knocking boots with a sexy ghost," Magnus says plainly. Taako kicks him in the ankle out of pure spite.

"If you even _think_ the phrase _knocking boots_ again I _will_ make tomorrow's headlines by throwing myself out of a moving vehicle, I swear to fucking god," he growls. Then he sniffs, and turns his face towards the window as he retreats back into his scarf. "It's not even like that."

Carey stares at him for a minute, eyes narrowed and sharp like little steel-grey daggers. Then she glances towards Magnus, and then back to Taako, and then to Magnus again, and then says, "Last night."

Taako glares at her. Magnus looks from her to Taako, eyes shining with wonder and potentially also the satisfaction of being pretty sure he'll be receiving twenty dollars sometime soon. "Is she right?"

"Fuck you," Taako snaps. Carey snorts at him.

"I'm right."

Magnus looks to Taako for confirmation again, and when Taako doesn't respond with outright denial, only sinking further back into the seat and his makeshift turtle shell, he actually breaks into loud applause, delighted. "That's so fucking cool!" he exclaims, turning back to Carey. "How did you do that?"

Smirking triumphantly, Carey looks back at him, whispers " _lesbians_ ," winks, and then turns back around in her seat without another word.

"Lesbians," Magnus repeats solemnly, and Taako nods, resigned. Goddamn lesbians.

  

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! This one fought me a little for some reason, sorry for the month delay between chapters oops
> 
> For those giving me well-wishes on work related stuff, thank you so much, it's going well! Or as well as retail at this time of year can go anyway lol :'')))))
> 
> Today's "fun fact I learned while researching" is: thrifty is apparently a pretty old word! Usage goes back all the way to 1900 and a long way beyond that too


	23. Another New Beginning, Pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Demonstrations, discussions, and dancing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a two-week update! Almost! Must be a blue moon lol

 

Taako ends up having a very long day.

It's not like he doesn't end up doing everything he set out to do. He helps pick out a couple of frankly fantasticoutfits for his friends, wears the shop owner down enough to give them a considerable discount (because, as he explains to her, gay rights) and even starts on roughing out a menu for the reception. The _problem_ is Magnus giving him a billion pointed looks throughout the process, Carey and Killian quizzing him on _how exactly does the ghost thing work_ , and the fact that not five minutes after they entered the shop he'd forgotten the main reason why he'd been wearing a scarf today and taken it off to expose a number of _fairly fucking distinctive_ marks dotted all the way from his collarbone up to his jawline. And, seeing this, Magnus had shouted something about _ghost hickeys_ and started trying to text Merle to _tell him the good news_ while Taako, in turn, tried and failed to put his phone out of commission.

So the day is long, and arduous, and Taako is happy as a clam when he finally gets to escape from Magnus' cooing and cajoling and go the fuck home.

And, well - the fact that he's getting to go home to his new boyfriend doesn't hurt his mood, either. He's looking forward to making dinner, wrapping himself up in a blanket, and finally getting to cuddle and kiss the guy he's been thinking about all day while they half-watch and half-ignore some shitty TV. That sounds pretty goddamn appealing to him right now.

Said guy, however, seems to have other plans. Almost as soon as Taako walks in the door Kravitz wordlessly takes him by the arm and starts pulling him gently towards the back of the house, a determined set to his shoulders and his eyes somewhere else. He doesn't look grim, though - not upset or anything, not angry. If anything he looks kind of excited. 

"You miss me that much, bubeleh?" Taako asks through his confusion, his bag still hanging half-on and half-off his shoulder. He hadn't even had time to take off his shoes.

"I - I wanna show you somethin', it's—"

Halfway down the corridor, Kravitz suddenly stops, and quickly releases Taako's arm as if it were a snake he'd grabbed without realising, looking a little embarrassed. "Oh. Uh. Sorry, I got, um - got a bit overexcited there," he laughs, awkward. "It - it can wait, just tell me when you're ready."

Fondly, Taako steps forward and relinks their arms with a snort. "We're halfway there now, homes, don't stop now," he says, leaning into Kravitz's side, and Kravitz beams at him before turning to lead the way down the hall again.

"Great, I've been waitin' all day to show you."

They come to a stop in the room at the back of the house, the one Kravitz always refers to as the music room despite it only containing the one instrument. Or at least, it usually does. As Kravitz lets go of his hand and moves away to flip up the cover of the piano, Taako notices that a new addition has appeared sometime since he'd last been in here.

"Where'd you find this?" he asks, poking at the fire-truck red violin that's now sitting in an open case on the table next to the piano. He already has a pretty good inkling of where it came from, to be honest - he doesn't know many people who own bright red violins with flame decals exploding along the sides - but he's curious as to how the familiar instrument ended up here.

Kravitz glances back over his shoulder, and then straightens up and wanders over to take the violin from from its case and weigh it in his hands. "Oh - Lup came by while you were out and left it here, she said, uh - said that it was only gathering dust in her closet, but I don't know if I believe her. She wouldn't let me turn her down, anyway."

"Oh. Did you, uh... say, anything... to her?" Taako asks with great apprehension, suddenly very nervous. "About-- Y'know."

Smiling slightly, Kravitz gives a very small shake of his head. "No, um - I thought you would prefer to broach that with her yourself." He looks down at the violin in his hands and plucks on one of the strings, shrugging. "If you decide you want to. If you'd rather not, it's - that's alright, too."

"Nah, I'll - of couse I'm gonna tell her eventually, Casper, it's important," Taako says, rubbing at his neck and smiling back at Kravitz when he raises his head. "Just, um, gimme a little while first. It's, uh - usually she only meets my boyfriends when things go wrong? So. It's - not that I think she'd be upset, it's more like, that it'd be a little weird, uh, for me, to have her, like—" He laughs through a small grimace, and shakes his head at himself. Fuck, his love life really had been a mess for a _while_. "God, it's like - it's probably really not great that it'd be weird because I actually think she'd approve, but - that's kind of it. She kind of hated most of my other - my other boyfriends, really."

"But not me?" Kravitz asks, curious. Taako scoffs at him, wondering how on earth he could think there was any chance that Lup _didn't_  think he was practically already family after her visit the other day.

"You were the ones bonding over the Taako embarrassment storytime session, you tell me."

"Well - in that case I have to say I'm rather honoured," Kravitz smiles - and he does look it, too. "I do enjoy her company as well, for the record. And not just because I liked hearing about your childhood escapades."

"But you did like hearing them," Taako smirks, probing.

"Of course I did," Kravitz replies, in that frustratingly open way of his. "I love hearing about you."

There's a dizzying amount of sincerity on his face. Enough that Taako feels like he should swallow down all the nerves that that kicks up in his stomach, and try to reciprocate as best he can. 

"D-- Ditto, Casper," he manages, despite himself. "Maybe we can make it an even exchange once you remember everything."

That earns him a warm smile. "I'd like that."

Taako smiles back, but things are starting to get a little too sincere for him, still, so he promptly changes the subject. "Did - did you hear any more fun ones today? Anything that might've made you change your mind about m-- Uh, about this?" he asks - jokingly, but... also kind of not. As nice as it would be, a lifetime's worth of insecurity doesn't just vanish overnight because you've decided you want to try to commit to something.

"I don't think that's even within the realms of likely," Kravitz says, smiling gently - but he does also seem to clue in to Taako's steering the conversation away, too, and goes back to fiddling with the violin strings. "But - no, she, uh - she didn't stay long. Just dropped this off and then borrowed a pair of your shoes."

Taako heaves in a sharp gasp of genuine outrage at that, and storms over to Kravitz in a hurry. Kravitz, in response, clutches the violin to his chest as if he's in fear for its life.

"That mother _fucker,_ " Taako hisses, "Which ones?"

"Uh, they were - I-I think they were red? With, uh, lots of straps on them."

"Bitch!" Taako shouts, more to the room in general than at anyone in particular. He groans loudly and slumps forward to rest his face on Kravitz's shoulder. The static feels _really_ weird around his eyes and nose, and he has to fight the urge to sneeze a little, but he's too busy mourning the loss of one of his favourite pairs of fancy shoes to care. "I'm _never_ getting those back," he whines.

"Should I have... not given them to her?" Kravitz asks, carefully reaching behind himself to set the violin down on top of the piano. Taako sighs, lifts his head and moves his hands to sandwich Kravitz's cheeks between his palms while he holds his gaze.

"Y-- Yeah, uh - Casper, babe, lis-- Listen to me," he says, deadly serious. " _Never fucking ever let my sister near any of my clothes_."

"Mnkay," Kravitz mumbles, eyes fluttering shut. He doesn't seem bothered at all by Taako telling him off and smushing up his face - something which is confusing until he gently takes ahold of Taako's wrists in addition to leaning into his hands, and Taako realises he's just savouring the heat from his skin.

"Babe, c'm--  _Listen,_ " he says, trying not to smile as he draws his hands back, to Kravitz's evident disappointment. "Lup is not a borrower. She's a _thief_. She's the big bad wolf, and you gotta guard all those gorgeous little piggies upstairs with your motherfucking _life_."

Kravitz offers him a placating smile. "I'm - I'm not alive, Taako, I can't--"

"Not getting out of it on a technicality!" Taako insists, raising a finger at him. It's all bluster, but this is important. If he's gonna have somebody at home that'll let Lup in, they also have to head her off before she takes his entire wardrobe. "Don't. Give Lup. _Anything_."

"Anything?"

" _At all_."

"...Can I offer her a drink, at least?" Kravitz asks, playful but also kind of confused. Taako only sighs at him.

"You - _clothes_ , Casper, you know I'm talking about clothes. C'mon."

Kravitz watches him for a second, seeming to be deciding whether or not he's serious, and then gives a small laugh and rolls his eyes. "Alright, I'll make sure to keep her away from your wardrobe," he snorts. "Anything else you need me to guard while I'm at it?"

"Nope, think that's it," Taako shrugs. "So, you wanna show me what was so important you had to drag me back here without fucking delay?"

Kravitz perks up at the question, and turns back around to the table to retrieve the violin's bow from the case as well. "Oh, yes, of course - I just, I remembered something, when I was trying to get this back in tune, um - well, just listen."

He lets go of the violin and its bow, and they hang in the air as if he'd handed them off to a silent, invisible assistant as he moves to sit down at the piano. Then, with a small shake of his hands that Taako puts down to long-standing habit over actually having to loosen any muscles, he begins to play. Both the piano, and the violin, at the same time. And with his eyes closed, no less.

Taako can't help but listen enraptured. It's not an overly complicated piece (to his ears at least), but there's beauty in its simplicity and in the pure sound of its component parts intertwining with each other. The violin part is smaller, simpler, existing as a minor accompaniment to the more complex piano element rather than holding its own in a fully-fledged duet - and yet in places it still feels like the piano is playing in support in some strange way. It takes a step back for its partner to take hold of the melody for a moment before sweeping back in, almost encouraging in its sound.

All in all, it's beautiful. Taako wouldn't ever have called himself a classical music guy, but - watching Kravitz play, seeing how he pours his soul into the performance to the exclusion of everything else in the room, or maybe even the world, he's thinking he might have to consider changing his stance.

As the song starts to fade, though, he notices the violin start to dip out of the air and lunges to catch it before it can fall any further, letting out a sharp sigh of relief as it drops gently into his hands instead of splintering apart on the floor.

"Fucking-- Careful, Casper, I think Lup'd kill you if you broke this, no matter how much she likes you," he huffs as he straightens up and goes to return the instrument to its case.

It takes a moment for Kravitz to reply. He spends a long moment sitting very still, his fingers resting unmoving on the keys in front of him as he flickers and dims intermittently, before he shakes himself and straightens up, and twists in his seat to face Taako again.

"Sorry, I--" He blinks a few times, hard, and shakes himself again, and the flickering stops almost immediately. "I just - lost myself for a moment," he murmurs, calling up a ghost of a smile. "Um - did you enjoy it? 

Taako nods, emphatically. And he's not even exaggerating. "Yeah. It was - it was beautiful, really. And like, not just sayin' that 'cause you're cute," he adds, and watches in mild satisfaction as Kravitz flushes slightly and laughs. "Did you write it?"

At the question, Kravitz suddenly stops laughing to stare at him - as if the thought hadn't even occurred to him. "I - I didn't think so, but - maybe. It just kind of came to me." He gestures towards the violin on the table, now lying silent and unassuming in its case. "I was just playing with it, really, and - suddenly I found myself in the middle of a song. And then I realised that I was only playing half of it, and - and not even the right half."

Taako frowns. "What's that mean?"

"I was supposed to be on the piano," Kravitz says, sounding vaguely uncertain of his own words. "The violin part is - was, someone else's."

"...Mira's?" Taako asks quietly.

Kravitz gives him a smile that you might find on the face of an acquaintance you've run into again years after meeting them, who obviously doesn't remember you but is trying to pretend otherwise. It's not an expression Taako is faced with particularly often, but he does see it a lot when he ends up tagging along to conferences or parties with Barry. Poor guy's just got one of those faces - forgettable. Taako doesn't have that problem.

"You, um - you mentioned that name before, didn't you?" Kravitz says - almost apologetic, which is bizarre considering the circumstances. "I don't know who it is."

"Yeah, I figured you were bullshitting me when you said it was your dog's name," Taako says with a snorted laugh. Kravitz responds with a much more awkward one, hand going to his neck.

"Ah, yeah. I didn't think it sounded convincing, either."

"It really wasn't," Taako agrees. He flips the lid of the piano shut and leans back against it, considering. If Kravitz wants to figure out about his past, the only person he's talked about by name seems like a pretty good place to start. "So... you don't know who she is?" he asks. "At all?"

"No, nothing," Kravitz confirms, shrugging a little. "She, um - she feels important, uh, in a way, but I couldn't tell you anything about her."

"Oh."

Chewing over his lip as he thinks, Taako gently nudges Kravitz up on the piano stool so he can sit down next to him, pressed flush from knee to shoulder. "That time I got you, uh - kinda high? When you were singing? You were talking about her. Or - talking _to_ her, or something," he says, reaching out to flip the piano cover back up and tickle a few ebonies and ivories as he speaks. It doesn't sound nearly as nice as when Kravitz did it. "You were saying that - that she left, or something, uh - seemed pretty messed up about whatever it was." He glances over to the side, sees Kravitz watching him with interest, and... something else, too. Something kind of sad. "It... seemed like you missed her a lot."

Kravitz holds his gaze for a little longer, looking to be turning something over in his head, before he looks back towards the piano. "I think I do miss her."

"But you don't know her," Taako frowns. Kravitz nods and smiles wryly, perhaps as confused by that statement as Taako is.

"I know. I know that - that it doesn't particularly make sense, but it's like... knowing something's missing from seeing the space it's left behind. Like - like a circle of dust being left on a shelf after you take something away." He reaches for Taako's hand, guides his fingers over a set of three notes that sound a much nicer harmony than the ones he'd hit before. "I feel like... being alone here always felt wrong. I don't know who this - who Mira is, but I know she was important to me. Even talking about her is..." He sighs and looks back at him, expression troubled. "Think about it like - can you imagine if you just forgot Lup?"

"No," Taako says immediately. He can't even begin to imagine forgetting his sister - it'd be like getting half his heart torn out of his chest. His whole heart, even. He would probably barely even be the same person without her. The thought alone is enough to send a shiver through him that has nothing to do with how close he is to his ice box of a boyfriend, who is currently nodding in understanding.

"Okay, but - try to imagine. It'd - I should think it would feel something like that. Like--"

"Like you've got a piece missing?" Taako supplies, feeling like he's starting to sort of understand what Kravitz is getting at here. Kravitz nods again, seeming fairly taken with that analogy.

"Exactly. I know that - that there's a hole there that's shaped like a person, I just don't know what goes in it."

Taako considers that for a minute. It sounds pretty frustrating, knowing there's a gap in your head - or, more likely several gaps - but not being able to fill it. Probably unsettling, too. But, that's why he offered to help in the first place.

"Well, this does," he offers, gesturing first to the piano and then to the violin on the table. "That's one piece of - of the puzzle, right?"

Kravitz turns his head to smile at him, and then leans over to kiss the high of his cheek as well, leaving static tingling and a light chill behind. "It is. I'm hoping you and Angus will be able to help enlighten me on the rest."

"'Course, bubeleh, we got you covered. Gonna have all those holes filled in no time," Taako snickers, and ignores the flat look he earns for that. Instead he grins and bumps his shoulder into Kravitz's. "So, piano _and_ violin, huh? Any other instruments I can bring in here for you to serenade me with, music man?" he teases. Then a thought occurs to him, and he asks a bit more genuinely, "Don't suppose a - a birthday made it onto your list of, uh - of known info?"

"I'm afraid not," Kravitz says with an apologetic shake of his head. "Or a birth year, either." He takes a breath and draws himself up, pushing the light gloom that had threatened to creep in again with a soft exhale. "As for instruments, I think it was mainly just these two. Maybe, uh - maybe - something else that was, was much smaller, but I'm... not very sure. Just a feeling."

"Small like what? Tin whistle? A kazoo?"

Kravitz hums a flat note, face scrunching up slightly. "More like a harmonica. I - think that might've been it, actually."

"Huh. That's a fun one." Taako glances around, contemplative. "Seems like this was a pretty musical household, then. Had a whole room for it, instruments and stuff."

Kravitz gives him an odd look at that. "Still is," he replies quietly.

It's a gentle reprimand, Taako realises as he suddenly recalls Kravitz's words from yesterday. _I don't exist in the past tense_ , he'd said. He doesn't like being referred to as if he's no longer here, pretty understandably, and that probably came a little close for comfort. 

"Uh - yeah, of course," Taako winces, "Sorry."

Kravitz only shakes his head, not having been mad in the first place but just offering a reminder, and reaches for his hand again. "Don't be. You weren't wrong, I don't think."

Taako watches as he guides his fingers again, playing out a short tune that ends up sounding slightly clumsy despite his best efforts to co-operate. "I just mean - you seem to know your stuff," he says. "That's probably a clue, too, right?"

"Maybe," Kravitz concedes. "I have had a long time to practise, though." He looks back over at him with a slightly brighter expression, turning his hand over so their fingers are interlinked instead and resting them in his lap. "I could teach you, if you wanted. Seeing as you're teaching me to cook."

"Yeah, uh, no offense, but this all - this kinda shit here looks like way too much work for Taako," Taako laughs, and then elbows him playfully. "Wouldn't say no to having you play a little more for me, though."

Kravitz chuckles fondly at him. "Maybe I could learn something more modern for you."

"Electric guitar?" Taako suggests. Kravitz likes his metal, and he'd look hot as hell with one of those - especially done up with a little punk aesthetic. Some skinny ripped jeans maybe, a dark t-shirt. Something a little goth. Taako's always had a bit of a thing for goth guys, and performers. Which... might explain a few things about his current dramatic ghost boyfriend situation, come to think of it.

"I could take a crack at it if you can find one," Kravitz says amicably. "Would be nice to have something new to work at."

"I'll see what I can do. Shame I already got you a candlenights gift, huh?" 

Kravitz smiles and squeezes his hand, an apology lingering around the edges of his expression. "Yeah. I'm sorry I haven't done the same, but I don't really have any way to get you anything material," he sighs, and motions towards the piano. "This is about the only thing I can give you."

Shaking his head, Taako hooks an arm around Kravitz's neck, pulls him in to kiss him lightly at the corner of his jaw and smiles. "Don't worry about it, babe. I'm good with what I got."

"Oh, but the guilt is simply going to eat away at me," Kravitz groans, slumping into him dramatically. Taako can't keep down a delighted giggle at the theatrics, and he feels a warm buzz go through him again. He's happy that Kravitz is comfortable enough to goof around with him more now that everything's out in the open, and the physical contact makes it even better.

"I'm sure you'll find something," he says, poking Kravitz the ribs and making him squeak in protest and slap at his hand.

"Don't," he warns, unconvincingly, and so Taako pokes him again, earning himself another slap and a further, more reproachful " _Taako_."

"How can you even be ticklish without any muscles?" Taako jokes, going to poke him again, but this time his target vanishes from his grip and sends him pitching to the side from the sudden lack of support.

"I said _don't_ ," Kravitz snaps from behind him, reappearing with his arms folded and a hard frown on his face as Taako rebalances himself. Biting his lip, Taako gives him a sheepish look and a contrite nod over his shoulder.

"Yeah, uh - you did. Sorry. Shoulda left you alone."

The chill that had started to take hold of the air vanishes as quickly as it had come. Kravitz's posture softens, and he looks slightly guilty as he unfolds his arms and adjusts his shirt cuff. "...Perhaps that was an overreaction," he mumbles. "Sorry. It's - just the principle of it, you understand."

"No, uh - I was being shitty," Taako says, holding up a hand. "You're right. Won't do it again."

Kravitz's smile tentatively returns at the assurance, and he offers out a hand towards his. "Thank you. Just making sure. Now shall we go do something else?"

"Sure," Taako smiles, taking the offered hand to pull himself up. "Ch'boy could do with some--"

He means to finish that sentence with  _food_ , but it turns into more of a strangled ' _fuh'_ as his foot catches on the leg of the seat and he stumbles forward, only saved by Kravitz steadying him with a firm grip on his clasped hand, and a further one settling on his elbow.

"Oh," he says, head tilting as he pulls Taako fully to his feet and steps forward to meet him, hands still in place. "Actually - hold on." From behind Taako's back, the piano trills out a few short notes, and Kravitz looks back at him with an excitable smile. "Do you know how to dance?"

"Depends what you mean by dancing," Taako grins, liking where this is going. "My definition or yours?"

Kravitz blinks at him, seeming taken aback by the question. "Well, um - I meant mine, but maybe you can show me yours."

"Well, you first. Sweep me away, handsome," Taako says with a grand sweep of his hand, and watches Kravitz start to fade out of view with a laugh. "You, uh - d'you not like that one? Handsome a no-go?"

Kravitz looks away, seeming to be aiming for nonchalant but not quite hitting the mark as he fades out even further. "Well, I - I wouldn't say I'm averse to it."

"I'll take that as a positive,gorgeous," Taako snickers, wondering how far he can push his luck before he breaks the guy.

"Put your hand here," is all Kravitz mumbles in response, moving Taako's hand from his mostly-vanished arm to his shoulder, which is very slightly more corporeal. Too bad. And just when Taako was starting to have some fun.

"So you're leading," Taako states, and receives a haughty nod in reply.

"Well, unless _you_ know what you're doing, yes. Is that an issue?"

"Nah," Taako scoffs. "How come you even know, though?"

Kravitz gets that glassy-eyed look that Taako has recently realised is the look he gets when he's trying to remember something just out of reach. "I - I think it was-- In the nicer parts of the city, they used to have these grand parties, and I used to sneak onto the grounds and watch through the windows." He refocuses on Taako as he blinks that distant expression away, although he still looks slightly misty despite it. "Myself and a close friend of mine used to enjoy playing pretend, and - well, making fun of them, too."

"You ever get caught?" Taako asks, and he gives a dry laugh.

"Not that I can remember."

With that, he casts a quick glance towards the piano, which starts to play a soft, rolling melody into the room, adjusts Taako's posture slightly, and leads him in a slow waltz around the floor, brow furrowed and bottom lip taken between his teeth in concentration. Cheekily, Taako kisses his nose, and snorts as the piano misses a few notes before picking back up again.

"We can just use my phone, Krav," he tells him, sotto voce and holding back laughter, "Y'don't have to multitask like that."

"...Ah. Right." Kravitz smiles sheepishly, and the piano drops away into quiet. "I thought it would be more romantic like that. Guess it doesn't really work so well when I have to divide my attention, does it?"

"Boy, you really were holdin' yourself back before, huh?" Taako giggles. Kravitz laughs, a little awkwardly, and scratches at his eyebrow.

"Just, uh - just a tad."

"You're real cute," Taako tells him, patting the air just above his shoulder to save him phasing his hand through it as it flickers, and then steps away to pull out his phone for some music. "Uh - gimme a name?"

"Oh," Kravitz says, face suddenly blank. "I, uh. I don't think I can... actually remember any."

Taako gives him a befuddled look. "What about the one you were playing before? Don't you know what it's called?"

"It's, um - I was just playing by muscle memory," Kravitz explains with a helpless shrug. "Of a sort."

"Right. Uh. What do I look for, then?"

"Just - just look up any waltz?"

With a shrug, Taako does, and just taps on the first thing that comes up. "This work?" he asks, holding out the phone for Kravitz to listen, and once Kravitz has given his approval they pick back up where they left off, stepping and spinning slowly until the song ends and Taako sighs in relief. At last. Wasn't really his thing.

"Well, that was _fun_ ," he says - rather generously, he thinks, "but how about we move onto my turn?"

"Be my guest," Kravitz replies, seeming mostly unoffended. He lets Taako slip out of his arms to go retrieve his phone and select a different song with a little more bass and a lot more BPM.

"So, I'm gonna _demonstrate_ first," Taako says, putting his phone down on the table and then going back over to nudge Kravitz backwards until he's sitting back down on the piano stool out of the way. 

"Is it that complex?" Kravitz asks, looking slightly apprehensive now. 

"Nah, just probably a little different to anything you'd know," Taako assures - and then gets down to dancing.

Now, as a general rule, he doesn't like to treat himself like a piece of meat. He doesn't break out the smooth moves for just anyone, and certainly not on demand. But he _can_ rock a pretty sweet lip-sync routine, and he _can_ get flirty on the dancefloor if he wants to. And to his delight and not inconsiderable smugness, it looks like he's still got the moves down perfectly, because Kravitz is _gawking_ at him. It's not surprising either, really, because even if he'd been watching Taako's performance at candlenights, this one is _definitely_ a lot less family friendly by comparison.

"Th-- That's  _dancing_?" Kravitz manages after a minute, once he's pulled himself from almost-transparent to only-slightly-flickery. Taako throws him a wink and turns to face his back (and more importantly, his ass) to him, watching him over his shoulder.

"Tell me it's not more fun than your version, though."

Kravitz just continues to stare at him, mouth still slightly open. "I wouldn't know."

"You would if you joined me."

A nervous, incredulous laugh makes its way past Kravitz's lips. "I don't know if I can even attempt that."

"Sure you can, get up here," Taako grins, and drags him up by his wrists to join him in the middle of the room. 

To his credit, Kravitz does seem like he at least _tries_ to join in. Despite that, however, his attempts at doing so look more like what Taako might expect from a corpse rather than a ghost, and no amount of encouragement or trying to get him to follow along with him alleviates the awkwardness in his movements or the discomfort on his face. He's just way too wooden about it.

"Okay - holy fuck, you look ridiculous," Taako sighs eventually. Kravitz makes an unimpressed noise, but doesn't argue. Most likely because he knows it's true. Taking pity on him, Taako moves into his space and tries to physically smooth the tension out of his shoulders so they're not held up next to his ears, at least. "Babe, you gotta  _relax,_ you can't dance like that."

"There's no steps, how're you s'posed to know what to do?" Kravitz huffs, clearly frustrated with how this is going. Taako's starting to see how he ended up being good at so many things - a combination of a fierce competitive streak, stubbornness, and simply hating being bad at stuff. So he takes him by either hand, and tries to draw him in and shake out some of the stiffness from his posture as he uses those points of contact to wave his arms around.

"Just feel it, my man," he shrugs. "Have fun."

And in saying that out loud, he at once sees both the problem and the solution. Letting go of Kravitz's hands, he backs up a step or two, fingers raised in front of him in reassurance, cranks up the volume on the music, and starts to break out the silliest-looking dance moves he can think of - the funky chicken, a very deliberately awful stanky leg, a brief attempt at the worm even, you name it. It accomplishes exactly what he'd hoped it would when Kravitz starts to stifle giggles, and Taako takes his cue to move back in and retake his hands, and start to twist and turn the two of them completely haphazardly, before working in hip-checking, trying to spin Kravitz around and nudging and prodding and poking him until he finally starts to loosen up and join in. It's tentative at first, to be sure, but then, hey - he can't look any sillier than Taako does.

He knows he's succeeded when Kravitz finally starts improvising by himself, and after that it's pretty much plain sailing. The guy isn't lacking in rhythm or dexterity, after all; he just needed a little push to get over himself and have some fun. If that meant Taako acting like a doofus for a minute or so, then so be it.

Of course, Taako can't resist getting a little frisky with it, but Kravitz seems like he's down for him working in a little groping and grinding here and there. He _does_  let out a startled yelp when Taako slaps his ass, but before Taako can even start to apologise he's already grinned and slapped him back, which obviously means that Taako has to retaliate, and - well, they don't stay dancing for very long after that. A few heated kisses quickly melt into something steady once again, in line with the music that fades into a new, slower song around them, and it's just... nice. There's no rush for it to be anything more or less than it is, and damn if the guy doesn't know how to kiss. He's improved a lot in the last twenty-four hours - maybe just relearning an old skill, maybe due to the amount of practise he's been getting, but undeniable all the same. It's unfair to put a face like that and skills like those together, really, but then Taako's not gonna complain while he's reaping the benefits. Absolutely no fucking chance.

As time ticks by, Taako finds himself taking on something of an exploratory mission - learning slowly which places are okay or good to touch, which aren't. He can feel Kravitz tentatively doing the same, too. More testing of where the lines between them sit. Taako, for his part, doesn't particularly mind most things; although Kravitz isn't pushing particularly far, he could if he wanted. Kravitz's boundaries, he finds, are fairly simple too: keep away from his chest, mainly, and don't try to remove any of his clothes. The latter is something Taako discovers when he slides his hands between the shoulders of Kravitz's suit jacket and his shirt to a very positive response, and so goes to push it off his shoulders and down his arms, but Kravitz catches his hands and hums a negative into his mouth before he can go very far. So, Taako pulls the jacket back up to where he found it, smooths the fabric back out and occupies himself with a safer area instead. Guy seems like he's really set on slowing things down, like they haven't already moved in together and had at least one or two make-out sessions that would suggest otherwise, but that's fine. It's fine if they don't ever go any further than this. Even though it's not at all what he's used to, Taako's finding himself more than happy to just take what he's given.

They have to stop after a little while, if only for the sake of Taako's lips - he's gonna have to invest in a lot more chapstick if his mouth's gonna be exposed to this kind of chill every day - and after that they just end up swaying, slowly, holding each other. After a few minutes, Kravitz turns to smile at him, closes his eyes and rests his forehead against Taako's own - and all of a sudden Taako finds himself flooded with some kind of diffusing warmth; something that fills him up and makes him feel lighter than air. He pulls back slightly in surprise, and the warmth flees like it had never been there, but Kravitz doesn't seem to notice or mind. He just presses his face into the crook of his neck and sighs happily, continuing to rock them slowly to the gentle rhythm of the music.

"I was so scared I'd make a pig's ear of this," he says quietly after a moment. Taako tries to pull back to give him an enquiring look, but Kravitz squeezes him gently - a silent request for him to stay where he is, to which Taako cautiously obliges.

"What?" he asks instead, very quiet. He can feel Kravitz's fingers toying with the ends of his hair, a nervous tic as telling as him blinking out of existence when he's flustered, and so when he doesn't get an immediate reply, he waits. And after a minute, he gets his answer, murmured into his hair behind his ear in a brush of cold air that gives him goosebumps, despite being the furthest thing from scared.

"I wanted to tell you, for good while. How I felt," Kravitz says softly. "But, you didn't seem to— I-I just thought it would scare you, and you wouldn't wanna stay here any more, so I kept it to myself, but..." He holds him a little tighter, squeezes hard in a way that Taako understands and would reciprocate if he wasn't worried that his arms would push right through. "I'm really glad I took that leap. I'm so glad you feel the same. Even if I'm not - y'know. Not a living person."

"I can't use a living person as a portable freezer, Casper, you've got your perks," Taako quips. Then he takes a breath, wets his lips, clears his throat, takes another breath and says, "And, uh, for what it's worth, I'm sorry I, uh. Jerked you around like that. Probably givin' off some pretty extreme mixed signals, huh?"

Kravitz lets out a short, unconvincing laugh, more than a little pained, and presses his face further into Taako's neck. "A - a little bit. I have to say I wasn’t very sure of anything for a while there." He finally pulls back to look at him, fondness written so plainly over his face it almost hurts to look at. "Thank you for that, though. I appreciate it."

Taako shakes his head, suddenly certain that he needs to say more than that - fuck, he hadn't earned a look like that with a half-baked apology and no explanation. "I mean it, Krav, I really - I coulda pulled my head outta my ass a whole lot sooner. Coulda been on this like, weeks ago, but I just..." He sighs, and resists the urge to push away by forcing himself to move closer, to focus on the subtle patterning on Kravitz's tie rather than his face. "I'm just not good at... letting people in, I guess. Especially - it's just, it's been a real long time since I liked somebody this much. And that's a big ol' red flag in the Taako rulebook, that's - that's commitment issues one-oh-one, probably. Taako's kind of a mess." Another shaky sigh, because - because _boy_ was that a lot of honesty to pour out all in one go, and then, very softly, "And he's, uh, he's sorry he caused you so much stress over - over all this. Really sorry."

The next thing he feels is a hand on either side of his face, a kiss pressed to his hairline, fingers pushing away his hair to the side, another kiss brushed over his forehead and then either cheek.

"That's alright," Kravitz smiles as he pulls back, all that affection still on his face but now looking a little watery, too. "He wasn't under any obligation. But please thank him for the apology."

"I'll, uh. Pass it on. For sure," Taako mumbles, a crooked grin flashing over his face. Kravitz grins back, and trails his hand down from his forehead, down his cheek and along his jaw, eyes following the journey.

"...I meant what I said earlier, you know," he murmurs. "Maybe - maybe dyin' wasn't such a bad thing if it brought me here."

"God, you're a sap," Taako beams. He leans in to steal a short kiss as Kravitz ducks his head, and then steps back with a quick pat to his cheek. "I'm hungry, come help me make dinner."

Kravitz grimaces slightly, though there's humour still in his eyes. "Surprised you'd let me near."

"Oh, yeah, no - this time I'm gonna be right on your ass, no way for you to mess up then."

"I think it'd be more productive for you to be concerning yourself with my hands," Kravitz says dryly, "but you're the chef."

”Fuckin' smartass,” Taako snorts, fond, as he turns towards the door. He doesn't receive even an attempt at a snide remark in response, and when he looks back at Kravitz he seems to be rather pleased with himself, and maybe a little flustered. That is until Taako starts snickering, and his expression turns confused instead.

”Wh-- Why are you laughing?”

”You - you thought that was a compliment, didn’t you?” Taako giggles.

Kravitz's expression drops. “Isn’t it?” he asks, and Taako starts to laugh louder.

"Taako? What - what does it mean?” Kravitz shouts after him as he continues out of the room, cackling. “Taako? Taako?"

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> Next chapters we'll be starting to get into the meat of the mystery part of the story, I'm looking forward to putting them out :D


	24. The Unreliable Witness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for an audience with the deceased, baby!

 

They settle into something of a routine in the following days, while they're waiting for Angus to free up some time to come over and start investigating. Taako wakes up to _very_ _careful_ forehead kisses and soft words and kind eyes, gets dressed, has his breakfast, heads off to work, spends the whole day kind of wishing he was at home instead, and rushes out of the building as soon as he can to get back for more kisses and engaging conversation and brief stretches of cuddling while burritoed up in blankets to avoid contracting frostbite.

A couple of days into this, though, he has the thought that this is stupid. They're living in the technological era (or at, least Taako is), so there's no reason he should have to go all day without speaking to his boyfriend. That's dumb, and he's gonna put a stop to it as soon as humanly possible.

It takes him a little longer than he would've liked because he has to find something with buttons on it - and because the image of his century-plus-old ghost boyfriend trying to operate an early-2000s era flip phone is just _too good_ to pass up. The next morning after he's found something suitable, though, he presents it to said boyfriend with a brief explanation and an even briefer demonstration on how to use it, tells him "Listen, I won't be able to reply until like three so I wouldn't bother sending anything until then," and dashes out of the door before he ends up being too late for work. Kravitz is a smart enough guy, he can figure out the specifics of it all for himself.

The first message comes at three on the dot.

_Good afternoon. I miss you._

Taako smiles to himself as he pulls his phone out of his pocket to read it. God, what a dork.

**_that was prompt lol x_ **

The reply is much slower - Kravitz probably isn't used to using the phone yet. Taako has time to get outside and settle down with lunch before it arrives.

_You said three o'clock._

**_dork x_ **

The next one comes more quickly, though still much slower than Taako himself types.

_that still feels like an insult_

**_still depends on how you look at it ;)_ **

**_you dropped the grammar pretty quick didnt you lol x_ **

_this isfaster what does x mean_

**_its a kiss babes ;) x_ **

_oh_

_x_

**_that's cute :) x_ **

_why do you keep writing : ; and )_

_x_

**_its a smiley face hon lmao x_ **

_is it_

**_look at it sideways_ **

_it doesn t have a nose what does lmao mean please explain thinhs to mebefore you use them this feels very unfair_

**_its not as cute if it has a nose see :-(_ **

**_lmao means im laughing_ **

_is that one sad_

**_yeah its a frowny face_ **

_how  does lmao mean you're laughing_   _doetnt that look stramge if you re laughing for noreason_

**_ill tell you later and im_   _not literally laughing you dork hahaha_**

**_man i gotta get you a phone that can show emojis somehow_ **

**_can confuse the fuck outta you with those_ **

_youre very cruel_

_x_

**_xxx_ **

_xxxxxxx_

**_cute_ **

_:)_

_x_

**_whatre you doing_ **

_this_

**_lmao real funny what were you doing before this then_**

_nothing really_

_x_

**_you havent done anything since i left? fuck dude_ **

_angus ishere he arRived a couple of hours ago_  

 _i told him you werent home and he said he d just wait here_   _he was tellimg me he made a friend at his football club_

**_of course he was_  **

**_i cant send emojis but im rolling my eyes_ **

_hes a nice boy and you like him more than you qretend to_

**_who are you my therapist_ **

**_can you give him the phone_ **

_alright_

_:(_

_x_

**_dont be a baby you can have it back in a sec_**

_Hello sir!_

**_hey ango_ **

**_tell me straight up how many times did he check the clock while he was talking to you_ **

_At least 20 sir. He seemed very concerned about it, is something wrong? Also, why is this phone so old?_

**_nothins wrong caspers just bein a dork as usual_ **

**_and it has to be old his ghostie fingers dont work on touch screens_ **

_Oh! That's very considerate of you, sir!_

Taako snickers. The kid's still annoyingly enthusiastic even over text.

**_kid are you for real TYPING sir to me right now_**

_Sorry. I'm just a little excited, I forgot._

**_im guessin krav told you why he wanted you over then_ **

_Yup!!! I can't wait to get started, I'm glad you trust me to detective this case real good!!_

**_pf. sure whatever_**

**_well get started then kid nothins stoppin ya_ **

_Well, I was going to wait until you came back, it's easier that way. I can call you and we can discuss it over the phone if you want, though?_

**_nah kid kravs voice doesnt really translate over the speaker_ **

**_you dont gotta wait for me though, just get him to tell you everything and ill catch up when i get back yeah?_ **

_He says he'd rather wait until you're back._

**_really? ymind putting him back on_  **

_Sure, sir! Bye I love you!_

**_bye pumkin_ **

_pumpkin thats sweet_

**_dont even start_ **

_:)_   _angus said he xants to get started but i  can wait until youre here theres no rush_

_x_

**_are you sure_ **

_yes in fact id rather youwere here_

**_dont tell me youre nervous big spooky ghost man_  **

_no_   _not really but i d like to do this together_

_x_

**_i think youre a big scared baby but ok_ **

_:(_

_wait_

_> :( _ _does that look angry_

**_holy shit its like im watching the 90s happen all over again_ **

**_listen i gotta go eat but ill be back at like 7 or 8 maybe_**

**_get ango to play a game with you or somethin and make sure lucretia knows where he is_ **

_ok_

_have a good  day do you want me to run a bath Dor when you get back_

**_nah babe ill deal with it_**

**_seeya later xxx_ **

_xxxxxxxxxxxxx_

**_dork x_ **

_:) xxxxxyxxxxxxxxxxxx_

 

-*-

 

By the time Taako gets back home, dark has already fallen outside, but there's a soft glow in the living room window that's visible from the street, and the sound of the TV is spilling into the hallway when he opens the front door.

He takes off his shoes at the entrance and follows the trail of noise into the room, to find just about exactly the scene he'd expected on the inside. There's a Caleb Cleveland movie playing over the screen of the TV, and Kravitz is sat ankle-over-knee at one end of the sofa while Angus is curled up in half a dozen blankets at the other - symptomatic of being too goddamn polite to ask if they could turn up the heat, Taako thinks. That said, the house is always fairly stubbornly cold; the heating system doesn't do much more than take the edge off of it at the best of times, which Taako puts partially down to the fact that there’s likely a supernatural element causing the chill, and partially down to how shitty the system is. He's planning on getting somebody in to overhaul the thing and all the other part-updated-part-ancient features of the house as soon as he has a little more money saved, but until then blankets are the go-to, as Angus has clearly discovered for himself.

" _Yes_ , you're back!" the kid exclaims when he sees Taako come in, immediately slapping the pause button on the remote and scrambling to extricate himself from his cocoon. "Finally, we can get started, I wrote down a whole bunch of questions—"

"Cooool it down there, Caleb, we've got all night," Taako says disinterestedly, throwing his coat over Angus' head and walking past him to go kiss his boyfriend. "Hey, babe."

Kravitz makes to stand up to meet him, but Taako smoothly cuts that off by sitting down across his lap as he leans in for his kiss. "Hi," Kravitz laughs against his mouth, and then pulls back to speak to him properly. "How was work?"

"Eh, okay," Taako shrugs, lifting himself up very briefly to pull a blanket over Kravitz's legs before he very literally freezes his ass off. "Not too many colossal fuck-ups for me to fix, y'know."

"Caleb Cleveland is a great detective!" Angus huffs, finally disentangling himself from Taako's coat and throwing it onto the arm of the sofa. "He always figures out who the criminal is, and I'm gonna figure this case out, too!"

Taako sets his back against the other sofa arm and stretches his legs along the seat cushions to poke Angus pointedly with his foot. "You're just lucky you're the only detective I know, kid. Less work than finding a professional."

"One of your next door neighbours is a professional detective," Angus says, unimpressed. 

"Uh. For real?" Taako asks, face falling. Maybe he'll have to be more careful; he's been known to get up to some antics of questionable legality. "Which one?"

"Detective Hurley, over that way. I've met her a bunch of times," Angus shrugs, and then makes a face and grumbles, "Usually she's telling me to get away from her crime scene."

Humming, Taako takes a moment to contemplatively twirl a finger into his hair. "Well, maybe I should go ask her instead then. Not like she doesn't already know the place is haunted as shit."

"H— Hey, this is my case!" Angus protests immediately, but Taako ignores him in favour of studying his nails.

"He's not going to take you off the case, Angus, don't worry," Kravitz tells him gently, and Taako places an imperious hand over his mouth in retaliation for ruining his bit.

"Sure I am," he insists. "I'm gonna get a real detective over here, bet she has a gun and everything."

"Guns are very dangerous," Angus frowns, "And I _am_ a real detective!"

"Okay - name me _one_ thing you've solved. Bet you've never beaten anything more complicated than a lost kitty," Taako snorts. He does actually know for a fact that Angus has more solved mysteries under his belt than some legitimate adult detectives, but it's always good to keep a kid humble.

"I caught those people that robbed all those houses last year, and I helped find that girl who ran away from home, and - and lots of cases! You know I've solved lots," Angus pouts, and folds his arms in abject offense. " _And_ I figured out you two both had big crushes on each other but I didn't say anything because it was none of my business."

Taako feels his face start to heat slightly at that, but determinedly ignores it. Little shit, calling him out on his weakest point. "That doesn't normally stop you from pokin' your nose in, pumpkin."

Shrugging, Angus shoves his hands under his thighs and kicks his feet in the air. "I mean, I also thought you might yell at me if I brought it up."

"He probably would've," Kravitz says, finally pulling Taako's hand away from his mouth, although he only moves it as far as holding it to his cheek instead. Taako lets out a loud _humph_ and rolls out of his lap into the middle of the sofa.

"Fine, no more Taako time for you," he declares, "If you're not gonna support me."

"I won't be penalised for speaking the truth," Kravitz rebuffs, looking very slightly disappointed even so. "And neither will Angus."

"Y-Yeah!" Angus chimes in, seemingly bolstered by having somebody else in his corner for once. "I'm - I'm dealing the hard truths, sir, and you've gotta listen!"

"Babe, stop teaching him to disrespect my authority," Taako complains, but Kravitz just smirks at him.

"Respect and loyalty are earned, sweetheart."

"Who said I wanna be _respected_?" Taako scoffs, folding his arms and turning away. "Kid should _fear_ me."

Kravitz snorts and gently bumps him with his knee. "Don’t be an arse."

"Sorry, don't understand your weird old-timey-speak," Taako retorts. Then he turns back to Angus, and thoroughly musses his hair before getting up from the sofa with his blanket still in tow. "Anyway, dinner first, creepy spooky murder case afterwards - cool?"

"Yeah," Angus mumbles dejectedly.

"It's not creepy and spooky," Kravitz grumbles in much the same tone. Taako ignores the both of them, and saunters off into the kitchen to make dinner. 

It's a good thing he never really gets bored of cooking, given his profession. It's true that he spends most of his time at work nowadays just supervising instead of actually doing much hands-on, actual _cooking_ , but he thinks that even if that wasn't the case he'd still come home and cook for himself most of the time. He is, after all, ultimately his own guinea pig for the meals he'll eventually introduce to the restaurant.

So he guides his two helpers-slash-hindrances through a basic paella, and it is a little like herding kittens even though at least one kitten is trying _very_ hard to allow itself to be herded, but also a lot of fun, too. Despite _somebody_ being a pain in the ass. Taako isn't sure exactly why Angus keeps giggling through all of his instructions until he realises that Kravitz is making all of his utensils spin around behind his head when he isn't looking, and he ends up threatening to create a salt barrier around his workspace at least three times, but still. He wouldn't dream of changing any of it.

Predictably, Angus scarfs down his food at twice his usual speed, but it’s not like it gets him anywhere. Taako won’t let him start his interview until after _everybody_  is finished eating, and he feels like taking his time, to Angus’ very fidgety impatience. It's the principle of it, though. He and Lup spent way too long scraping from meal to meal to not appreciate good food properly, and maybe that shows in them both carrying a lot more weight than they used to, but neither of them have ever really cared. For his part, at least, Taako thinks his ass has never looked better.

Eventually, though, after everyone is finished and all the dishes are done and everything is clean and tidy, he does deign to put the kid out of his misery. They relocate back into the living room, where Angus hops up into the armchair and Taako curls up (heavily blanketed) against Kravitz's side on the couch. Then, Angus pulls out a well-chewed pen and a brand new notebook, adjusts his glasses with almost comical seriousness, and gets down to business.

"So to start with, how much _do_ you remember?" he asks intently, pen poised and at the ready. "I wanna start out with as much information as I can get, and from there it might be a good stepping stone onto remembering more as we go."

Kravitz hesitates for just a moment, seeming uncertain. Quietly, Taako slips his hand into his and squeezes, and Kravitz glances back at him with a small smile before turning back to answer Angus' question. "Well, um. I know I grew up in London. I know my mother was a seamstress and my father was a sailor, and, um..." He frowns, pauses, and scratches at his temple with his free hand. "I came here, I-I think about..." His frown deepens, and he's quiet for a second longer before sighing in frustration and shaking his head. "No, I can't - that's a dead end, sorry."

"Whatever you can remember is useful," Angus offers, all supportive eyes and encouraging tones, and Taako suddenly catches a vivid flash of the great detective he will most likely grow up to be one day, superimposed. The kid's got charisma, and smarts, and once he gets a little older Taako can see him becoming the kind of person it's hard _not_ to put your faith in, if he hasn't hit that point already.

"I - I am trying, trust me, but - there's just nothing there. I know there should be, but there isn't." Kravitz glances towards Angus' notebook, brows creased in a mildy troubled look. "If it helps, I find that older things come easier. Things from when I was a child."

"I mean, we can come back to that," Angus replies, more intent on writing for the moment. "But I think the more relevant information is gonna be later on, right?"

Kravitz rubs at the side of his neck, grimacing slightly. "I thought the same. Unfortunately most of that area is just--" He wafts his hand through the air and shrugs, pursing his lips with a kind of weary frustration drawn along the line of them. "Gone. The only thing I really remember is owning a cat."

Angus nods to himself, seeming mostly unperturbed by that. Taako sees him write 'CAT' in large, bold letters before underlining it and moving on.

"Okay, then - what's the first thing you remember, uh - like _after_ dying?" he asks, returning his attention to Kravitz. "Like, did you just wake up here with no memories one day?"

Kravitz seems to need a moment to consider that, uncrossing and recrossing his legs to rest the other way around as he thinks. "Um, no, it was... more gradual than that. Honestly, I - I think I only became truly conscious after meeting you," he says eventually, turning to Taako as he does and squeezing his hand.

"Kind of a weird pickup line, but I'll take it," Taako smirks, mostly goofing in the hopes that the two of them will stop being so _serious_ about all this and lighten up a little. It works at least partially, with Kravitz giving him a small, fond smile even as he shakes his head.

"Well, that's - not really what I meant, I just - you talked to me, made me think about what I was doing. I started reaching for information that I didn't have, and it started occurring to me that something might be wrong." His eyes drift towards the middle distance, and his voice turns quiet. "Up until then I was just... functioning on instinct, really. On a loop."

"And your instinct was - was to just be a dick to people?" Taako jabs, snickering. Kravitz gives him a look so flat it would turn invisible if you flipped it sideways, and faces back towards Angus with a defiant elevation to his jaw.

"It was to stay here," he says, "And keep this house safe from people it didn't belong to."

"For how long?" Angus asks mildly. Kravitz seems unbalanced by the question, and stutters briefly before coming out with any actual real words.

"For - until--" He flickers for a moment, forcing Taako to readjust himself in his seat before he falls through him, and then huffs and rubs at his forehead. "Fuck, I don't know. Until somethin' happened. But it never did."

"Something like what?"

"I... thought that I would know when it happened."

"Right," Angus murmurs, tapping his pen against his lip. "So, what's the very first thing, as far back as you can go? But still after you died."

"I - don't really know," Kravitz mumbles. "Just... feelings, I suppose."

"Feelings?"

"Yeah," he says. "Mine, and..."

He trails off, and Angus looks curiously up from his notes and asks, "Other people's?"

"Um, well, it's kind of--" Kravitz cuts himself off to stare down at his knees instead, chewing on his thumbnail as he works his thoughts over. "I couldn't really _see_ , or - everything was fairly abstract. It's like - there was less of me to work with then, if that makes sense, and I was more spread about. It was like being half-asleep. So, I _think_ there were other people there, but they were just kind of - _there_. Just, scraps of feelings."

Angus looks a little perplexed, but dutifully notes all of that down. It _is_ kind of an odd concept to try to think about, Taako reflects, processing what's going on around you without a body to filter everything through. Must be pretty weird, and disorienting too. Maybe not even something a living mind could handle.

"Well," Angus says, the chewed end of his pen hovering perilously close to his mouth, "Let's start with yours?"

Kravitz's eyes narrow to a squint at the surface of the table, as if he's trying to get a better look at something only he can see. "Um. Mostly just confused. In pain, somehow. Then - something changed. I only remember being angry after that."

"What changed?"

"I was - needed," Kravitz says, a distant quality to his tone. "Urgently. But I was too weak, and - and scrambled, in my head, to process why. I doubt I was actually able to help." His face takes on an agitated look, the projections of muscles around his jaw drawing tight like overwound strings. "I don't remember feeling like I did. It was frustrating, and - and that only made me more upset."

"And the other people?" Angus prompts, his pen hard at work. "How many?"

Kravitz closes his eyes, and one of his hands lifts to rub small circles into his forehead, as if trying to relieve a headache. "A few, I think. It was - kind of vague, like I said." His fingers slow slightly, and he reopens his eyes with a deep frown settled on his brow. "One was... upset. Angry. I didn't pay much attention to the others."

"Angry?" Angus echoes.

"And - _sad_. Heartbroken." Kravitz starts to flicker again, expression twisting into something hurt, and his voice turns soft and weak. "She left, and I couldn't follow her."

At that last addition, Angus' head flips up to look at Kravitz with interest. "She?" he asks intently, but Taako has been distracted by a hard pressure on his hand and is more focused on Kravitz, who has his eyes squeezed shut in apparent pain, small drops of imitated water taking form at their corners.

"You okay, babe?" he asks quietly, concerned, and though Kravitz nods it doesn't seem like it's an entirely truthful answer.

"Sorry, it - really hurts to think about sometimes," he breathes, pulling his hand away from Taako's to join the other one in wiping at his face. "Happens. Part of the reason I avoided it for so long." He exhales, carefully, and finds Taako's hand again before looking back to Angus. "Can - could we come back to that? Later?"

"Uh, yeah, of course," Angus says, only barely missing a beat. He makes a small note, and then flips forward in his book a couple of spreads to a fresh page. "Then, uh, what about the other people that were still there? Did they stay for long?"

"I don't know, it could've been weeks or years they were here," Kravitz says, shrugging. "I really wasn't very aware of much, you understand. Just drifting, a lot of the time."

"Did you know them, though? Want them to stay, or leave?"

"I wanted them gone," Kravitz says with no hesitation, then blinks and sits up a little straighter, seeming surprised at himself. Angus looks almost as surprised as he does, lifting his head to watch him more closely from behind his too-big glasses.

"Do you know why?"

Kravitz shakes his head, mouth working but not forming words for a few moments further. "I - I just knew that - they shouldn't be here. It was the only clear thought in my head, that I wanted them out, but I wasn't conscious enough to do anything." He worries at his lip, briefly, his eyes poring over something decades-buried with almost desperate intensity. "Things started to get clearer as time went on, and - I thought that they were ignoring me, but they must have not been able to see me. I was - was shouting and screaming and they didn't bat an eye, until - I got so frustrated I could hardly bear it, and something shattered. That got their attention."

"So you kept breaking stuff to try to get them to leave," Angus says, more of a statement than a question. Kravitz gives a small shrug in response, suddenly avoiding his eyes.

"That was the only way anyone paid any attention to me," he murmurs. "And it worked. Not just on them, either, I - I did that for a long time. Until I got strong enough for people to see me, I suppose, and then I barely had to do anything to scare them off."

"So that went on until Taako moved in?"

"Yeah."

"And this - this person that left, she never came back?"

"I don't think so. I don't remember anyone ever coming back here twice, but I wouldn't put much stock in my account of things." Kravitz pauses to chew his lip, briefly, looking suddenly sad. "I think if it was her I would've noticed, though."

They settle into a brief silence, the only sound the scratching of Angus' pen over his notebook. Taako looks from him to Kravitz, who's staring absently into space as they wait for Angus to pick his line of questioning back up. He seems a little worn down from all of this, just looking at him, but he was the one that had asked them to look in the first place. Taako knows that he wants to know what happened here; they just have to get through this for now.

"So, that person who left," he says carefully, trying to test the waters a little before bringing this back up in earnest. "That was... Mira?"

Kravitz looks at him with apprehension lining his lips and eyes, but nods with fairly firm confidence. "There's - I couldn't say for certain, but - I would be willing to wager so, yes."

"Who's Mira?" Angus asks, looking between the two of them as he waits to be brought into the loop.

"We don't know," Kravitz tells him. "I think she used to live here, but - obviously I'm not certain. Apparently I started talking about her when I was, uh - indisposed."

Angus opens his mouth as if to ask about that choice of words, but then appears to dismiss it instead and asks, "What about her?"

"She left, for some reason," Taako explains. "Or disappeared, or something. Sounded like maybe Krav was waiting for her."

"Could that have been what you were waiting for?" Angus queries, addressing Kravitz again. "Her coming back?"

Kravitz nods, with barely a moment's consideration this time. "Quite potentially."

"So then, who were the others?" Angus mutters to himself, gnawing at the end of his pen for a second before catching himself and focusing back on Kravitz instead. "You really didn't know them at all?"

"Not a clue who they were," Kravitz confirms. "I just wanted them to leave."

"Well, that's one possible route we could take," Angus says, but rather than writing down anything new, flicks back to start of the set of pages that he'd left blank before. "But, I think we should focus on Mira. Do you remember anything else about her?"

"Just the name. And that she was important to me."

"Wife?" Taako asks, risking a small glance over at Kravitz as he does. It's a silly insecurity to have, maybe, thinking that he might be competing with a dead woman, but - still. Doesn't really stop him wondering.

But, Kravitz shakes his head and holds up his left hand to wiggle his bare ring finger, seeming unphased by the suggestion. "Doubtful. Unless someone stole the ring or something, but - I don't know. I don't know if this, uh - if how I look right now is just based on what I remember, or if it was how I looked when I died, but either way I feel like if I was married there would be a ring."

"Maybe she died?" Taako suggests. "So you stopped wearing it?"

"She can't have died before I did if I felt her leave afterwards," Kravitz points out, shooting that theory down in a flash of smoke and gunpowder. He leans backwards into his seat, shifting even though Taako knows he doesn't really _get_ uncomfortable, although that's what his expression would suggest. "Besides, I - I don't feel like marriage was something that... it wouldn't've been something I did unless circumstances were fairly compelling. I would've needed a very good reason."

"Right. Well, uh..." Folding his arms, Taako fixes his eyes on the ceiling and starts bouncing his foot against the floor as he mulls it over. "Sister? Cousin? Illicit consort?"

"I-I don't - I don't _know,_ " Kravitz says once again, starting to border on exasperated as he repeats that statement for potentially the dozenth time this evening. "I don't remember having any relatives here with me, but it's..." He heaves an frustrated sigh and rubs at his face, grumbling to himself. "You'd think I'd remember a whole fucking person."

"I mean, you'd think you'd remember _dying_ , too, but..."

Taako lets the end of that sentence fizzle out with little more than a shrug. Kravitz groans in response, and grinds his hands into his face for a moment or two longer before letting them drop gracelessly back to his lap.

"Yeah," he sighs, and offers Angus a tired look. "I'm sorry I can't be of more use, Angus, really. I realise this is asking a lot of you."

Angus shakes his head and continues to fastidiously copy down the information he needs. "It's more than I had to start with," he says - surprisingly diplomatic for a child of ten, unless you knew Angus himself. He finishes his note with a flourish, and then pages back through the others a little, checking them over. "It's part of a name, at least. Do you remember her surname?"

"No, I'm sorry," Kravitz says. "I know I'm not being very helpful."

"That's okay, it's more of a challenge this way!" Angus assures, flashing a bright grin before quickly switching back to detective mode again. "What about your name, do you know all of it?"

"A blank on that one as well, I'm afraid. Just Kravitz."

Taako suddenly feels a spark of inspiration hit him right between the eyes. He nudges Kravitz's shoulder for his attention, and hastily mimes out playing a piano with his fingers when he turns to look. "Hey, you've - you've got that kinda muscle memory, right? Why don't you try writing it down? Maybe your hand'll remember even if your head doesn't."

"Like a signature?" Kravitz asks, already sitting up straighter with interest at the suggestion. Taako's pretty pleased with it himself, not to toot his own horn too much.

"Worth a shot, right?"

Nodding, Kravitz turns to Angus and motions for his pen. "Could I - might I use those?" he asks, and Angus hands the pen over along with his notebook, seeming fairly eager to test out the idea as well. As Kravitz shuffles forward on the cushions to lean on the table, though, the boy frowns and tilts his head.

"But - you're left-handed," he says, squinting at where Kravitz is holding the pen in his right. "Aren't you? You do everything else with that hand."

Kravitz blinks at him, and looks from Angus to his hand and back again in mild puzzlement. Now that Angus has mentioned it, Taako's pretty sure he does hold a knife in his left hand, and tends to leave the mouse on the other side of the computer after he's done with it, too. In this instance, though, he doesn't seem to want to move the pen to his other hand, despite his confusion.

"...No," he says slowly, after a moment's staring at his own fingers, "We weren't allowed to write using our left. It was, um - some nonsense about the devil, I think. Used to smack me across the knuckles if I tried. Cack-handed, they said."

Taako makes a face, even if he's not quite sure of the meaning there. It _sounds_ pretty insulting. "Your parents called you that?"

"No," Kravitz shrugs, "My teachers."

"You went to school?" Taako asks, surprised.

"Of course I went to school," Kravitz huffs indignantly. "All the way until I was ten, like everyone else."

Taako stares at him just long enough for it to be noticeable, and it doesn't go over well. Kravitz's expression turns stormy, and he turns away from him looking very much offended. "Don't look at me like that."

Taako quickly averts his eyes with a mumbled apology. He hadn't been staring out of shock or pity, more out of surprise that he hadn't been the only one that had missed large chunks of standard schooling, but he'll have time to explain that later. "Let's just, uh - do this."

"Let's," Kravitz grumbles, still piqued by the sounds of it. He leans forward again, anxiously flicking the pen between his fingers, and then scribbles out on the paper, _'M. Kravitz.'_ Taako slaps him on the back with a laugh, delighted that that had actually worked.

"Sweet, that's a start! So what's the _M_ for?"

"My friends used to call me Mac," Kravitz murmurs, frowning down at the paper. Taako grins. This is going _great_.

"That short for somethin'?"

"Not sure," Kravitz says, and looks back over his shoulder at him. "What would it be short for?"

"Uh." Taako's grin evaporates. Well, he _had_ been on a roll. "MacDonald?"

"That's my name!" Angus chimes in happily. Taako rolls his eyes, but can't help but let out a snort of laughter, too.

"We knew that, Ango."

"That's not really a given name, either," Kravitz points out with a patient smile.

"Right. Uh. Mac...allister? No, that's - home alone, like - _Kevin_! Right?"

"I haven't a clue what you're referencing," Kravitz says, smile now turned on Taako instead.

"Uh. Yeah. Of course," Taako laughs, scratching his cheek. "Um. Mac...intosh? Mackenzie?"

Almost before he's finished, Kravitz is snapping his fingers at him in wordless, wide-eyed excitement. "Y-- Yes! Mackenzie, that was it! That was - _fuck_." He laughs, edging on hysterical, and slumps back into the seat with a slightly more subdued but no less incredulous grin. Taako allows himself a smile too, just happy to see him so excited. Must be nice to have your name back after going such a long time without one.

"Is that spelled with an A in it?" Angus asks, somewhat cutting through the moment, "Or just M-C?"

"With an A," Kravitz confirms. He's slightly calmer now, although he does pull Taako in towards him to press a very enthusiastic and grateful kiss to his cheek. Taako laughs and waves him off, but that only earns him another one before Kravitz composes himself and looks back to Angus again. "But - you should probably know that I rarely used that name, no-one ever really called me by it except my mother. As - as far as I remember, most people either called me Mac or just Kravitz."

"Well, it should help a lot either way," Angus says, leaning over to retrieve his notebook and pen from the table where they'd been abandoned. "I can start looking through old obituaries and stuff. Hopefully the library'll still have those." The pages seem to whisper to each other as he leafs through the book thoughtfully, and he makes a few quick marks on one of the earlier sections. "I've got a few more questions, though, if you don't mind, and then, um..."

"Then what?" Kravitz asks when Angus trails off, fiddling with the cap of his pen. Angus looks between the two of them with big, round, puppy-dog eyes that Taako knows very, very well.

"Could we finish the movie before I have to go home?" he pleads, clasping his hands in front of him. "Please?"

"Of course we can," Kravitz laughs, and Taako smiles too. When all's said and done, a kid is still a kid, no matter how smart.

 

-*-

 

"D'you think he has enough to go on?" Kravitz asks later, after Angus has headed home and they're nestled up together on the couch watching some documentary about - maybe birds or something. Taako's not really paying attention. "I feel like I spent all evening just telling him I didn't know anything."

"Nothin' you can do about that Casper," Taako says, pulling the blanket up higher over Kravitz's shoulder so he can settle his cheek on it more comfortably. "Besides, isn't that why we're doin' this in the first place?"

Kravitz sighs, gently rubbing Taako's arm through the blanket in an absent motion. "I suppose. It just feels like I didn't really give him much of a head start."

Taako steals a quick glance at his boyfriend, trying to stay surreptitious. There's a lot of pent-up frustration in his face, most likely both from today and a very long time previously, and it sits uncomfortably in the pit of Taako's stomach. Can't be having that.

"You ever been fishin', Krav?" he asks, watching a group of penguins zip their way through the water in trails of bubbles on the TV. He sees Kravitz turn to give him a confused look out of the corner of his eye, but doesn't acknowledge it.

"Not that I can recall, no."

"Well, ch'boy likes a fishing trip," Taako shrugs. "And y'know, sometimes there's nothing you can do but throw that line out there an' wait."

Kravitz is quiet for a moment, and then Taako feels his chest shift and a brush of cold air hit his cheek as he huffs a small laugh. "Is this supposed to be allegorical?"

"I mean, duh. Why else would I go on a random tangent about fishing?" He waves a finger at the TV, towards the penguins that have now found dinner and have started to go to town on it. "Point is, line's been cast, we've got good bait, and now we've just gotta kill time. Personally, I think we could be doin' worse."

When no reply comes, Taako glances upwards to find Kravitz looking at him with almost amused curiousity. Then he smiles in earnest, and lifts his arm from where it had been resting around Taako's shoulders to play with the flyaway hairs around his temples. "Y'know, you're surprisingly optimistic when you want to be."

"What, you thought I was a downer?" Taako scoffs. Kravitz shakes his head, still smiling.

"No, just - you're willing to make things seem brighter for other people's sake. It's very sweet."

Flushing slightly, Taako turns his attention stubbornly towards the TV. So, maybe he has been known to try to - to cheer people up on occasion, but it's not - it's not _sweet_. It's just a habit. He and Lup had had to be that person for each other for a long time. "Well, thanks, I guess," he mutters.

"It's a compliment, Taako," Kravitz chuckles, and jostles him good-naturedly with his knee. "You don't have to guess."

"Shut up. Barely a compliment," Taako shoots back, headbutting Kravitz's shoulder in response, but that only makes him laugh.

"You just don't like it when I make you out to be a good person," he grins.

Taako doesn't even dignify that one with a reply.

For another few minutes, they sit in quiet, letting the TV fill the room with its chatter. Kravitz continues to play with Taako's curls, slowly moving from his roots down to their ends and back again. It feels really nice, despite the way it makes him break out in goosebumps whenever Kravitz's hands get too close to his scalp. Eventually he gets a little bored, though, and opts to switch their roles instead. Kravitz seems more than happy with that arrangement, leaning into his touch and starting to hum contentedly under his breath after a while.

"Hey, so... d'you want me to start callin' you somethin' else now?" Taako asks, as the thought occurs to him a few minutes later. "Seems weird to, uh, to keep callin' you by your surname if you've got like, an actual first name I could be usin'."

"You never call me by my name properly anyway," Kravitz smiles, one eyebrow arched playfully at him. He looks away shortly after, though, and starts to idly fuss with the edge of the blanket. "But to answer your question, no, I - I think I prefer just Kravitz, to be honest. It was the only name I remembered at first, and at this point it feels more natural to me than anything else."

"Sure?" Taako presses, and Kravitz gives a firm nod and a smile as he looks back over.

"Mmn. Definitely."

Taako snickers as he moves his hand to pat the side of Kravitz's face. "I knew you wanted to be Cher."

"New word," Kravitz says mildly, a phrase which has become their spoken shorthand for ' _I don't know that one, please could you elaborate_.'

"She's a singer," Taako explains. "But the point is she only goes by the one name. Like Madonna or Beyoncé or whoever."

"Is that the fashion now? To just use the one name?"

"I mean, why not? S'what I do."

"I thought your last name was Taaco?" Kravitz says, turning a small frown his way. Taako frowns back in mild befuddledment.

"Where'd you get that from?"

"It's who all your post is addressed to."

Taako relaxes a little. That makes more sense. Of course he'd have seen that name on his mail. "Right. Yeah, I mean legally, I guess," he says airily. "Me 'n' Lup made that up for shits and gigs - as far as ch'boy's concerned, Taako's the only name that deserves me."

It's not the whole story. It also had to do with neither of them wanting to keep the surname their parents had so generously left them, but he's in too good a mood to start getting bogged down in a swamp of ancient bullshit right now. Maybe another time.

Kravitz seems like he's not quite taken in by that explanation, but he doesn't press further. "Fair," he says, turning back towards the TV. "It is very unique."

"Damn straight," Taako agrees, pulling his chilled fingers back under his blanket for the moment. There's silence for a few moments, and then he elbows Kravitz gently in the side. "That's your cue to make a gay joke, babe."

"Oh. Sorry."

Taako smiles and reaches up to gently pat the side of his face. "You'll get there eventually."

"I can only thank you for your patience," Kravitz chuckles, and catches his hand to quickly kiss his fingers before letting him bundle them up again.

They don't speak again until it's time for Taako to go to bed, and Kravitz sees him off at his bedroom door as usual. He kisses him softly, as usual, and they get a little carried away, as usual, and Taako wishes he could find a way to make eight hours in the same position fun for someone who doesn't sleep so he could have his boyfriend to cuddle for the night, as per fucking usual. But, it wouldn't be a fair arrangement, and so they go their separate ways and Taako is left alone with his thoughts until morning.

He finds himself mulling over the things they'd uncovered today, and over their conversations. He really likes talking to Kravitz about just about anything, even if he still hasn't gotten the hang of even Taako's most obvious setups for the most basic of gay jokes yet. He'll get it eventually. Probably. Got a lot of stuff to learn and unlearn first.

 _Eventually_ , though. How long is eventually? A couple weeks, a month? A year? Two? Taako doesn't normally think about _eventually_. He thinks about _soon_ and _next_ and _now_ , not...  _eventually_. That's a word that smells too much like commitment - like permanence, which past events have proven is something he likes to run away from at speed with both hands over his ears and potentially also blindfolded for good measure. That's new relationship vocabulary for him, and he'd used it without even thinking.

 _Eventually_  is a long way off, but - clearly some part of him thinks he might want Kravitz there for it, at least.

He tries not to think about things like that too much, because they make him nervous and antsy and he just - he needs time to settle into an idea like that. Into _long-term_. But... this could be that. Something deeper. Something solid, and - fuck, maybe even permanent, one day. Maybe. _Eventually_. He kind of likes the idea, but - it's a little much for the moment. For now, he's happy taking one day at a time and enjoying what he's got, which happens to be a lot more than he'd bargained for from a suspiciously cheap, run-down old house.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hopefully this one wasn't too dry? Lots more info though!
> 
> Also, if you enjoyed, I would really appreciate it if you left a comment! It's the only way I know who's still with me on this ride, and I appreciate each and every one. Obviously it's not compulsory but it would make me very happy, and for those who comment every chapter: I love you dearly, thank you


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